Construction is underway at Richmond's newest elementary school and students of Brighouse have every reason to gaze across with pride from their old school at the new one being built.

Right from the get go, the students -- from kindergarten to Grade 7 -- have been involved in the design process with the architectural team from Busby Perkins+Will.

Thanks to the kids' input, natural light will flood into the school and each classroom window will have a view of nature.

The kids also asked for the school's corridors to be designed so as to make it easer for younger students to find their way and the halls to have specific "project" spaces set aside for children to work in.

Jennifer Wint, of Vancouver-based developers Busby Perkins+Will, said the company has been thrilled to work with the students.

"Construction began a few months ago and we're now ready to take some of the students on a tour next week," Wint said.

"We'll take them through the site and they will be able to see some of the design suggestions they made taking shape.

"When their suggestions came in, there was a lot of emphasis on computers and technology, as was having plenty of windows.

"Their current school is a bit of a maze right now, so way-finding in the new school is very important to them also. It's very exciting getting them involved in such an important way."

The company's project architect for the new city centre school, Julie Verville, said the students' design ideas helped steer them in the right direction although not all ideas were feasible.

One student asked to have slides from the second floor down to the playground, "...which was a good idea, but not one we can follow through, unfortunately," Verville said.

"All of the ideas were really, really interesting and very good for us also as it's not going to be us that is there every day when it opens. Them being able to see nature from their classrooms is certainly not something that you would see in most schools." Another student-generated design idea that has been incorporated was having a separate courtyard area for the kindergarten students.

"At the end of it all, I think we've tried our best to listen to everyone and we've come up with a very user-friendly design," Verville added.

The school's design will be unusual in that it will, in part, be two storeys high, with the higher rooms looking down onto "green roofs" on the floor below.

And with the green theme also in mind, the school will get an "energy dashboard," which will transmit data onto a giant screen in the reception area, allowing student and teachers alike to monitor their energy consumption in the school and set future reduction targets.

As well as forming an integral part of the school's design team, the students are blogging frequently on the school's website about the ongoing construction.

Brighouse principal Adam Heeney is equally enamored by the way the students have interacted with the project, cementing an emotional and intellectual attachment to the design of their new school.

"It's absolutely incredible how they've got involved and the ideas they've come up with," he said.

"When this place opens, it's going to be the environmentally greenest school in Canada. For them to know that they've had an actual hand in designing their own school will make it all the more special."