The project called for a freestanding addition of four multi-discipline lab classrooms to the existing magnet high school building. Each pair of classrooms is served by a single, connecting prep room containing all necessary lab equipment and supplies. The lab classrooms are extremely flexible and fully equipped for lab work in biology, chemistry or physics. Each classroom is outfitted with traditional desks and chairs, in addition to lab work stations, allowing for guided, self-directed projects outside the typical lecture format.
The plan of the building is splayed outward so that the main corridor continuously widens as one moves in the direction of the classrooms from the main entrance. Each pair of classrooms is topped by dramatic butterfly roofs. The matching ceiling slopes create space for tall, corner windows, which flood the classrooms with natural light. The classrooms are clad in light-colored brick from the campus’s signature palette and vertically-oriented metal panels to highlight them against the darker brick blend of the supporting spaces.
