Valley Springs High School is a beacon, sitting proudly on a prominent corner of campus, representing the community’s historic commitment to education. The translucent glow on the exterior of the library is stationed by the contrasting computer lap mass above and these two volumes craft a new identity for the district as the mass volume of highway traffic now has a scholastic landmark. The glowing library serves as a reminder of the former greenhouse that was once a visual marker on this site for thousands of sunsets.
© Timothy Hursley
The grand entry pays homage to the historic stone architecture on campus as students flow into the building between the light polycarbonate panels and massive gabion walls as a spring would a valley. The gabion baskets contain hand-placed limestone from a local quarry less than a mile from campus while the remainder of the building is clad in a maintenance-free metal panel. The metal panel profiles are randomized to create a unique rhythm that reinvigorates the mundane metal panel surface quality on a typical k-12 campus. © Timothy Hursley
This two-story, 9-12th grade facility breathes life into the rural campus that has been vacant of major construction for 30 years. The second-story mass spans the stone and polycarbonate forms to cover the entry while the exterior spaces created from this move become an outdoor science lab and a future green roof. These two exterior spaces provide elevated views back to the campus and spark energy f...