The design team partnered with tree construction experts who identified 29 trees from the site that could be harvested and converted into interior and exterior structural columns for the new school.

On average, each tree column stores approximately 1,000 pounds of CO2e and replaces the gravity load of an HSS steel column.

Based on principles of biophilia, a natural material palette of wood and concrete emerged. The polished concrete floors perform as a structural element and provide thermal mass that offsets temperature gain throughout the day.

Locally sourced dowel-laminated-timber (DLT) ceilings create an intimate scale across the public areas of the school. This single material serves as a structural element, providing acoustic absorption, and forming a final finish that ties into biophilic and low-carbon goals.

The traditional cafeteria has been reinterpreted into a distributed commons, broken into zones offering a range of seating options and scales. A wall of glass allows for daylight and offers access to a covered porch with additional seating in the courtyard.

: “How can every learning experience be interactive, creative, and adaptable?” From that inquiry, the design team and faculty tested classroom mock-ups for a year, landing on “Learning Studios” which are paired rooms shared by two teachers with overhead power, shop-style sinks, and flexible furnishing.

Learning Studios are visually connected with sliding glass panels doors that can be closed and/or curtained off as needed.

Restrooms are comprised of non-binary, single-occupant toilet rooms with full-height doors and ventilation. Personal privacy and safety are paramount, and each toilet room opens to shared sinks which are visible from the corridor for passive supervision.

Designed as a Seismic Risk Category IV structure, the building is planned as a community shelter in the case of a seismic event, large-scale power outage, or other disruptive incident.

With its welcoming, biophilic environment, Lakeridge Middle School is designed to support the unique needs of the middle school learner.