Abbie Grove Elementary School
Located in the fast-growing Grove neighborhood, Abbie Grove Elementary School is the twelfth elementary school built in the Ankeny Community School District and was designed to easily blend into the aesthetic of the new development.
It serves kindergarten to fifth grade, with capacity to serve up to 800 students. The school’s design reflects the neighborhood’s modern and sustainable vision, as well as the district’s commitment to providing high-quality education for all students. The school features a colorful and inviting exterior, with large windows, metal panels, and brick accents. The interior spaces are designed to foster collaboration, creativity, and exploration among students and staff.
Like the recently completed Heritage Elementary School, Abbie Grove is organized in sections to make the building feel smaller and more manageable to its young learners. The school’s student-commons is filled with natural daylight and opens onto a full-size gymnasium that has capacity to provide a raised performance area. A large media center provides views that connect to the outdoors and is located at the heart of the building with direct access to the school’s technology and maker-space labs.
Harnessing Earth’s Power
This site features a geo well field, integral to the building’s heating and cooling system. The technology leverages geothermal characteristics, meaning it utilizes the earth’s natural temperature to exchange heat with water or air circulated in pipes and wells. As a result, the geo well field can both heat and cool the building using a single system, ensuring a consistent temperature throughout the year.