The Blackhawk Highland Middle School project was recognized as a “2014 Project of Distinction” by the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE). Through significant support in the Blackhawk community, it also received the AIA Pittsburgh’s “People’s Choice Award.”

As a major expansion and reconstruction effort for the Blackhawk School District’s Highland Middle School added classrooms, significantly enlarged and updated the Library / Media Center, and added a new gymnasium, and main entrance.

The design emphasized ‘learning everywhere’ with flooring patterns, wall details, and overall themes extracted from the Middle School’s curriculum. Each of the three-grade level core classroom neighborhoods is designed around a theme: ‘explorers’, ‘inventors’, and ‘pioneers’, and specific colors and patterns derived from the theme and the grade level’s educational program define each area.