Highline High School
Burien, Washington
Design Team
Dan Miles (Principal-in-Charge); Mark Smedley (Project Manager); Michelle Yates (Architect); Lindsay Crawford (Architect); Alan Dodson (Architect)
Three powerful concepts shaped Highline High School—community engagement, project-based learning, and contextual place-based design.
The guiding principles developed through the district-led visioning process included welcoming, student-centered, community-focused, and safe outdoor learning spaces. By placing the commons at the heart of the school, the design creates a central gathering place for student and community events.
The layout is based on learning communities. General classrooms, seminar rooms, teacher planning areas, small classrooms, and science labs are clustered around a small learning commons. Career and technical education (CTE) programs are adjacent to each of the learning pods. As part of the design theme of “Romancing the Trades” (a term created by the visioning committee), the CTE spaces are placed strategically to provide visibility from the building exterior, the commons, and for displaying student work.
The commons feature timber framing with glue-laminated columns and beams, wood decking, and purlins for a biophilic approach that reduces embodied carbon. Finally, outdoor learning, rain gardens, athletic fields, and arts facilities ensure that Highline integrates seamlessly into the heart of the community.
Additional Information
Capacity
1,500
Cost per Sq Ft
$508.00
Featured in
2022 Architectural Portfolio
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