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Last year, Beaverton voters approved a $680 million bond measure that will eventually pay for seven new schools, including a new high school.

But right now the focus is on building four new elementary schools, and their design will be both innovative and cost-efficient, Beaverton School District spokeswoman Maureen Walker said. Cost savings will come from use of a prototype design for all four schools, DLR Group architect Levi Patterson said.

Plans call for construction of a new one on Kaiser Road as well as replacements for Vose Elementary, William Walker Elementary and Hazeldale Elementary. Construction of a new middle school on Timberline Drive is slated to finish this fall. It will serve as a temporary elementary school, on a rotating basis, as the others are built over the next few years.

DLR Group created the prototype design, which will be adjusted for each location, Patterson said.

鈥淲e are trying to make a building that could be flipped or mirrored without sacrificing solar orientation, and we took all the classrooms to the second floor,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e wanted to separate it into public and private 鈥� basic partitions that allow us to eliminate some problems.鈥�

Classrooms in the two-story buildings will have skylights and views, Patterson said.

鈥淎ccess to daylight and access to views have measurable effects for students’ performance,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ow they can have a view out without worrying about people being able to see in. That basic foundation was a big driver for us.鈥�

The design also is a departure from traditional elementary school design of an E or H shape, he said. Classrooms’ location on the second floor provides more safety for students.

Aaron Boyle, construction operations supervisor for the Beaverton School District, said safety was a big part of deciding to place classrooms on the second floor in the prototype design.

鈥淲e put really strong emphasis on maximizing the safety of the design and separating learning spaces from public spaces,鈥� Boyle said.

The idea is to funnel all visitors 鈥� whether they are heading for common areas, the gym or the library 鈥� through the front office, he said. That gives school officials more control over access.

Construction of the new Vose Elementary will start this fall; its students in the next school year will attend classes in the new middle school, Walker said.

The new Hazeldale Elementary will be built next, and its students will attend the new middle school starting in fall 2017. Plans call for the still unnamed middle school to open by 2021, after the new elementary schools are built. The middle school, on 16 acres, will eventually serve about 1,100 students.

Bids for work on Vose Elementary will be accepted beginning in April, Walker said. The existing school, built in 1962, will be demolished and replaced with a $24.8 million, 87,253-square-foot building able to accommodate 750 students.

Boyle said the design will be 鈥渢weaked as we go along鈥� and that many voices 鈥� including educators and community members 鈥� had a say.

鈥淲e had a lot of design concepts to try and achieve, but lighting and security were two most important,鈥� he said.