Client: Shelby County Board of Education
Area: 138,000 sq. ft.
Scope: Administration suite, counselor suite, media center, teachers' work area, auditorium, gymnasium, kitchen-cafeteria, 48 classrooms, science lab, chemistry lab, physics lab, two computer labs, two vocational training labs
The goal of this project was to create a center for learning and student-staff interaction with the design objectives being efficiency and economy, low internal and external maintenance costs, and effective visual control of the facility. The high school was designed for an initial enrollment of 1,100 students, with a master plan for achieving an eventual capacity of 1,600.
The school is located on the crest of a low hill overlooking a small valley to the west. The site is designed for efficient parking and student drop-off by bus and car. A large, outdoor gathering area between the lobby and the media center can also serve as an outdoor classroom.
Student needs were accommodated with wide corridors that facilitate traffic during class changes, and larger student gathering areas located at corridor intersections. A large lobby serves the students as a gathering area before and after events in the auditorium and gymnasium. The auditorium seats 1,000, and the gymnasium seats 2,200.
