Academies of Loudoun

Leesburg, Virginia

Firm

Stantec

Client

Loudoun County Public Schools

Area

305,000 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$86,500,000

Completion Date

09/2018

Prakash Patel Photography

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Design Team: Derk Jeffrey, Matt Waguespack, Kyle Hopkins, Katie Land, Bob Sherrill

The stigma associated with “non-college-bound” programs is fading. Technical pursuits such as automotive repair, high-performing building assembly, and health science education are challenging, rigorous, and vital, and increasingly require command of advanced concepts in math, science, and technology. Equally compelling is the connection such programs have with project-based learning, which further supports the intersection between career and technical education (CTE) and advanced placement courses.

As more is learned about the benefits of project-based learning and the ways in which STEM and CTE courses emphasize learning by doing, schools are moving beyond program and pathway isolation toward interdependence. Such is the case at the Academies of Loudoun, which fused three independent programs—the Academy of Engineering and Technology, Academy of Science, and the Monroe Advanced Technical Academy—to leverage opportunities at their intersections and create a dynamic new learning facility that dismantles silos and breaks free of preconceived notions about traditional classrooms and labs.