From the 2023 Architectural Portfolio: The Branch School, Hightower Middle School
Jan. 4, 2024
The project received the William W. Caudill Citation as the top K-12 design in the competition.
The goal for the Branch School's Hightower Middle School was to create a middle school building that accommodates the school’s growth and approach to project-based learning. The building is climate-responsive; exterior and interior spaces use passive ventilation and have several wind strategies—wind scoop, “wind hearth,” breezeway, and operable windows—that create comfortable areas. Water is collected for irrigation and experiments, and runoff is cleaned through native bioswales before leaving the site. Geothermal wells under the playing field create clean energy that helps reduce emissions.
Read more about Hightower Middle School and view a photo gallery at SchoolDesigns.com.
