What now stands as a vibrant learning environment is the result of close partnerships among Arrow staff, architects, contractors and vendors who shared a common goal; to create a space where children could thrive.
“The Mountain Road school was a success because of our intentional efforts from the very beginning,” Paul Hughey, Arrow’s senior director of facilities said. “Arrow carefully selected external project delivery partners through a best value solicitation process that allowed for a fair and competitive selection of the best partners for the project.”
Arrow selected Moseley as the architect for the project. Moseley conducted a design charrette to help set the tone and vision for the entire project.
“The Charrette brought all of the stakeholders together to ensure the functionality of the space intersected with architectural form and code requirements,” Hughey said. “Our Architect worked very closely with us to determine the best materials to utilize for durability and the special needs of our students, including color choices.”
Every decision was made with both function and experience in mind. Offices were designed to support staff well-being and longevity.
“Our furnishings reflect an elevated employee experience with the utilization of UPLIFT sit/stand desks in all of the offices for enhanced ergonomics,” Hughey said.
For classrooms and specialty spaces, Arrow partnered with W.B. Mason Interiors to bring the vision to life, particularly spaces dedicated to therapy and sensory development.
“Our classroom furniture and specialty spaces vendor, W.B. Mason Interiors, worked with staff to create innovative spaces that will be used for therapy and an indoor sensory gym that will allow students to gain confidence, build skills and have fun” Hughey said.
According to Kirsten Beck of W.B. Mason Interiors, collaboration was essential to the design process.
“When working on a new space, it’s important for me to work directly with the ones that are actually using the space,” Beck said. “I was fortunate enough to have discovery meetings with the teachers.”
Those conversations helped shape classrooms, storage solutions and therapeutic environments tailored to student needs.
“During these meetings, I would gather their needs and desires for the classrooms, calming room and the sensory gym,” Beck said. “Once I gathered all of that information, I was able to match up their needs with the correct manufacturers and products.”
For Beck, functionality came first, followed by aesthetics. She approached the project with a proactive mindset to avoid an end result that did not accomplish those goals.
“I was confident from the beginning that if we were given the freedom to explore what we could offer, we could create the most amazing space and we did,” Beck said. “I appreciate the leadership from Paul to his team. He was very open in saying, just tell Kirsten everything you want and let’s see if we can make it happen.”
That philosophy guided the creation of the calming room and the indoor sensory gym, spaces designed to support emotional regulation, movement and confidence.
“In the calming space, how do we allow a child to de-escalate through the furniture, without providing too much stimulus,” Beck said.
According to Beck, this was captured through items such as a Serenicube. It is a small space a child can climb into, be immersed in soothing sounds and tactilely find a way to soothe themselves.
“Whether it is feeling the walls that have a grassy texture, pulling one of the sensory tiles off the wall or maybe the child needs to crash on the floor for a few minutes. We have oversized crash pads that they can lie on,” Beck said.
The sensory gym was envisioned as an alternative to outdoor play, giving students freedom to move in a safe and engaging environment.
“The vision was to create a safe space for children of all ages to release some energy, anxiety, frustration and the need to explore,” Beck said. “I think having this space allows these children to feel part of something really unique and special.”
The design of the sensory gym balances the need for fun with a practical layout for Mountain Road’s student population.
“The colors are not overly stimulating, but fun and interesting,” Beck said. “We have a small area that the children can climb under, like a cave with motion sensor lights if they need some personal space. They can also bounce on a trampoline or zipline into a foam pit.”
There is something for everyone: climbing, jumping, swinging, balancing, crawling and even tumbling.
Throughout the project, Arrow’s mission remained front and center.
“W.B. Mason is very much dedicated to making an impact in our community and it always feels good to know you are making a difference,” Beck said. “To be able to use furniture that has been carefully designed and will directly support these children as they grow, makes me feel amazing.”
Beck said she and the Arrow team are aligned in their goal of making a meaningful impact on the children’s lives.
“What stood out to me most was how much everyone cares for these children,” Beck said. “Everyone truly loves their job and is vested in making a difference in their lives.”
For W.B. Mason Interiors, the Mountain Road campus represents more than a completed project. It reflects a commitment that makes collaboration seamless and effective.
“The Arrow team was very thorough and worked very closely with me, and that is why this project turned out as amazing as it did,” Beck said. “It doesn’t feel like work when I do a project for Arrow. It just feels like I’m on a mission to serve, and I am so grateful for this partnership.”
Hughey credited that same spirit of partnership across every phase of construction.
“We could not have created this space without the assistance of our general contractor MacKenzie Contracting Company which delivered a top-notch construction project with an aggressive schedule and several delivery challenges,” Hughey said.
Together, Arrow and its partners created a school, but also built a place where thoughtful design meets intention and possibility, one child at a time.