Davenport Community School District Sudlow Intermediate

Located in Davenport, IA

Sudlow Intermediate School – home to 850 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in Davenport, Iowa – needed to improve security. Because the school office was located on the second floor, it was difficult for staff members to monitor entrances for security purposes.

First opening its doors in 1918, the school faces a major Davenport street and was designed for students who walked to school. Today, many parents and students use the school’s back entrance for drop-off and pick-up instead of the designated front entrance, making it even more difficult to monitor activity.

To improve visual security, encourage use of the front entrance, and give staff members a feel for who’s approaching the building, Shive-Hattery relocated the front office from the second floor to the first floor. This also ensures that visitors pass by the office upon entering.

To add visual punch and encourage creativity, Shive-Hattery worked with the school’s Creative Arts Academy students on environmental graphics, encouraging them to submit their own designs and ideas for consideration.

A team made up of the Sudlow Intermediate School principal, Shive-Hattery designers, and the school’s facilities team selected the environmental graphics that would be placed around the school – including a tiger image (the school mascot), photos of students in motion, and a series of abstract, geometric images. The geometric graphics, which were placed next to the staff’s new first-floor office, served as design inspiration for the space: Similar colors and imagery appear throughout the office.

To decrease energy costs and reduce manual labor requirements, Shive-Hattery also upgraded the existing lighting system to LEDs.

By relocating its front office, Sudlow Intermediate School staff members can now monitor what’s happening outside the building and see who is entering. The office is easier to access, better connects staff with parents and students, and also encourages use of the front entrance while new lighting and environmental graphics give the century-old school a modern look and feel.