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Site plan of overall school and city park development
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Lower Level Northwest High School Floor Plan
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Main Level Northwest High School Floor Plan
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Upper Level Northwest High School Floor Plan
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The main entry/security vestibule creates an welcoming and visually interesting approach to the facility.
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The academic towers orient to the interior of the park, providing the best connection to the green space and lakefront
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Athletic functions were sunken into the ground to give more prominence to the school located in the center of the site for better views
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The student commons, the central hub of the building, is visually connected to most activities. Carefully designed sightlines maintain exterior views through the connecting spaces.
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The student living room on each floor of the academic wings provides options for informal learning and social interaction while being visually connected to adjacent resources.
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At the core of the academic towers, the two-story media center provides multiple settings and resources for students to feel comfortable and engaged in learning.
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The roof terrace off the media center and student living rooms is an excellent and safe location for students to study outside while overlooking the lake.
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Multiple study rooms around the building give students options to study in small groups or find a quiet spot for individual work.
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The twelve-hundred-seat performing arts auditorium and adjacent black-box theater give Northwest students many options to explore the arts.
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The visual and digital arts rooms open to a private corridor providing gallery space taking advantage of ample north-facing glass opening onto the sculpture garden.
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A running track is the circulation area as you enter the athletic wing of the building and provides access to the top-loaded gymnasium and auxiliary gym.
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A separate team building provides additional locker rooms and meeting spaces for outdoor athletics and gives visitors a dramatic view of the main field.
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©AJ Brown Imaging
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©AJ Brown Imaging
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©AJ Brown Imaging
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©AJ Brown Imaging
PROJECT NARRARTIVE
Frk worked closely with Waukee Community School District to plan and design a second high school campus to meet the future needs of Iowa’s fastest-growing district. Frk facilitated a comprehensive visioning and programming process with the district’s planning committee to co-create Northwest High School, a sterling exhibit of Future-Ready design tailored for tomorrow’s curriculum that maintains an equitable relationship of spaces with the existing Waukee High School.
The new three-story, 395,000 square-foot facility, which engages 1,800 students in grades 10-12, is situated on a newly-developed property. This comprehensive campus is organized to maximize natural views while creating safe and functional relationships between its amenities. Utilizing the site’s slope, the design creates a new school with a compact scale at the main entry that opens to the three-story academic towers’ views of the adjacent lake and park.
The Student Commons is the central hub of the building, creating an intimate design that encourages community and interaction. Radiating out of the commons are the academic towers, media center, arts and athletic wings, which efficiently uses the public space. Educational spaces within the building are enhanced with collaborative areas for students and staff to promote organic learning opportunities.
Northwest High School
Category
High School
Description
Owner
Waukee Community School District
Waukee, IA
Architecture Firm
frk architects + engineers
West Des Moines,Iowa
frk-ae.com
Photography By:
©AJ Brown Imaging
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