Stacked onto a compact site along Arlington's Rosslyn-Ballston corridor in Virginia, The Heights by BIG and executive architect LEO A DALY is a new 180,000 square-foot academic building that brings two existing secondary schools under one roof. The Heights is BIG's first U.S. public school — and their fourth school project to be completed within the last academic year.
The Danish firm worked with Arlington Public Schools (APS), WRAP (West Rosslyn Area Plan), and the local Arlington community on the building's design, which supports H-B Woodlawn Program's visual and performing arts-focused programs as well as the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Program's resources for students aged 11 to 22 with specialized educational needs.
Designed to accommodate up to 775 students, the cascading, glazed-brick building comprises five rectangular classroom "bars" that fan out from a central axis point. Above each floor is a green terrace that creates a more engaging indoor-outdoor learning landscape for students and teachers.
The four tiered terraces are connected by a rotating central staircase that cuts through the interior of the building. The upper terraces are designed for smaller classes and quiet-study areas, while a spacious first-floor terrace and 18,700 square-foot recreation field can host school-wide and neighborhood events.
A triple-height lobby with stepped seating doubles as an indoor gathering space for student assemblies and public gatherings. The school's other common areas — a 400-seat auditorium, gymnasium, library, reception, and cafeteria — are centrally located and adjacent to the lobby. Students also have access to an art studio, science and robotic labs, music rehearsal rooms, and two performing arts theaters.
The rectangular classroom “bars” surround a central vertical core that contains elevators, stairs, and bathrooms. As students enter the central staircase, they move through an expansive gradient of color that “combines intuitive wayfinding with a vibrant social atmosphere”, BIG describes.
The Shriver Program occupies two floors that are accessible from the ground floor and contain spaces that are specifically designed to aid students in sensory processing — such as the gymnasium, courtyard, occupational physical therapy suite, and sensory cottage.
Find more project photos and diagrams in the gallery below.
3 Comments
thinking of all of the pranks and injuries that will happen with all of those terraces and large steps.... hope the insurance is good
The photos don't show the two now-active construction sites adjacent and behind the school grounds. As a parent of a senior in the first graduating class at the new HB building we won't have to deal with it much longer. Thanks a million RE developers!
Until recently, this school property was an active construction site, too, impacting neighboring properties. It's what happens in cities.
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