Bluestone Elementary School
Local geology gives Bluestone Elementary School a wayfinding story that connects students to their community and the larger world.
Bluestone serves a culturally diverse student body representing more than 60 countries and more than 50 languages. We developed a wayfinding and environmental graphics program that celebrates this diversity through connections between Harrisonburg’s local landscape and places around the world. The design helps students feel connected to their community while encouraging them to explore beyond it.
Client
Harrisonburg City Public Schools
Location
Harrisonburg, VA
Markets
Collaborators
The school’s three floors are organized around the local geology of the Shenandoah Valley, with themes of Caverns, Valley, and Mountains. Each academic wing becomes a different trail, and classrooms are identified by local species. In shared spaces, graphics expand the story beyond Harrisonburg, highlighting similarities between local landscapes and natural environments around the world.
Each floor uses a distinct geographic theme to help students understand where they are and navigate between academic areas.
Classroom signs feature local species, turning everyday wayfinding into opportunities to learn about the surrounding environment.
Global landscape graphics connect familiar places in the Shenandoah Valley with natural environments around the world, reinforcing the school’s focus on cultural and geographic diversity.
