Designs for high performance high schools

High school is the last stop in a student’s educational journey before transitioning to a career or continuing education. Preparing students for this transition requires a thoughtfully designed learning environment that provides opportunities for exploration, collaboration, and skill-building.

Our team works to understand the school and community context and history. We thoroughly study the program and curriculum, and we often spend a day in the life of a high schooler to get a fresh perspective of the student experience.

After this research and knowledge phase, we then begin to craft high school design solutions that respond to the needs of the neighborhood and enhance the end user experience—for students, teachers, administrators, community members, and beyond.

Throughout the process, we’re always looking for new ways to build users’ pride, define clear boundaries that increase occupants’ sense of ownership and safety, and prepare students with the skills they need. 

Ben Franklin High School & The Science Leadership Academy

In the 1960s, a six-story high school was built in urban Philadelphia to accommodate 1,200 students. With enrollment falling to 500 students in recent years, the School District of Philadelphia saw a unique opportunity to improve the facility’s efficiency while providing updated learning environments: they co-located the City Magnate School and the Science Leadership Academy with Ben Franklin High School. Read More

Meridian High School

How do you construct a new high school within the constraints of a 28-acre site? A site that already includes an occupied high school and middle school, athletic venues and practice fields, community resources, and 10 acres designated for future development? You design up, instead of out. Read More

Services


Architecture & Interior Design We create spaces that are engaging and uplifting, that contribute to our collective sense of health and well-being, and encourage the sustainable stewardship of our communities.
Research + Benchmarking Expertise is not static. Through our Research + Benchmarking program, we connect team members across sectors, geographies, and disciplines to continually learn and improve.
Buildings Engineering With decades of innovation and experience under our belts we’re engineering a promising future leveraging the best in building systems, technology, energy analysis, and sustainable performance.
Landscape Architecture Whether it's an urban park, a restored wetland, an athletic complex, or a waterfront destination--through analysis, planning, and design, we create inspired landscapes that reflect context and user needs.
Program & Construction Management We know from experience that delivering a complex project without surprises doesn’t mean there won’t be challenges, but our creative approach to planning and controls can head off most problems.
Bond Programming When school districts are facing some of their most important and challenging decisions, we are there to help navigate them through to inventive solutions.
Interior Design As humans, we spend a significant portion of our daily lives inside. We believe our emotional and physical well-being is dramatically impacted by the places where we live, work, and play.

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