Data-Driven Design

Set in an old grove of Juniper trees, this new 250,000 square foot high school looks to house an additional 1,600 students for Bend La Pine School District. From the project’s conception, heavy emphasis was placed on a desire to showcase Career and Technical Education (CTE) classrooms, provide transparency with the desire for passive supervision, and promote collaboration through all of those things. The large gym and theater to the north is bridged to the southern classroom wing through a highly transparent media center that houses the school’s main book collection.

Significant rigor was taken in considering the daylighting/glare potential of the sunny Central Oregon climate. Ultimately, the southern classroom wing, volume of the media center, and main circulation spaces were informed largely in part by these daylight studies. The school is currently under construction and is slated to open for the 2021 school year.

Alex Collins was a member of the design team while at BBT Architects. You can find more information about the project as well as their firm here.