When Auburn School District’s two other high schools reached capacity, the need for a new high school to serve the growing community became apparent. Collaborating with the School District as well as community members, BLRB designed a school that is traditional in style, energy-efficient in use of materials and resourceful in meeting challenges of a severely sloping site.  

The design of Auburn Mountainview High School was driven primarily by site conditions, program requirements and school district standards. The building plan is organized around a central student commons flanked by two wings, an administrative and academic wing to the south and an activities and technology wing to the north.

Centered on the south facade is the main public entry with its own strong architectural statement welcoming visitors to the school. The school is quite large, housing a 600-seat cafeteria with full production kitchen, band and choral rooms, 31 general classrooms, seven science labs, a 1,600-seat competition gym, a 400-seat auditorium and a state-of-the-art Career and Technology Education. Nonetheless, the building footprint facilitates a comfortable sense of scale, reducing the mass of such a large facility and allowing simple gable roofs to be placed over the north and south wings, as well as the central student commons.

This is a school built to pass the test of time. BLRB used materials and systems that maximize energy efficiency and minimize waste, utilizing recycled materials when possible. The building footprint reduces site grading impacts while strengthening its responsiveness to the educational program. Natural daylight is introduced into all educational spaces and the majority of staff offices. 

Grades 9-12
1,500 students
195,000 SF
Construction Cost: $36,000,000
Completed 2005