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Mount Rainier High School Originally built in 1957, Mount Rainier High School needed extensive maintenance and was sorely lacking in educational and extracurricular amenities. As if this weren't bad enough, the school is located under the takeoff and landing strips of nearby SeaTac International Airport, making even casual conversations, let alone teaching of complex ideas, difficult. Highline School District needed a new school that would better serve its educational needs as well as mitigate the impact of its location - all on a very tight budget. BLRB delivered. BLRB worked closely with the District and the design committee to help prioritize needs, knowing that the budget would likely not accommodate everything on their original wish list. Then BLRB got to work - making creative use of space such as designating areas for multi-functional use, in order to stretch the District's dollars as far as possible. The goals were to facilitate community use; create a centralized social “heart”; maximize daylighting; celebrate the view of Mount Rainier and personalize the learning environment. The new school design supports educational goals, serves the community and celebrates its location while minimizing the impact of its noisy airport neighbor. The academic spaces are comprised of two two-story L-shaped classroom wings, each housing two interdisciplinary learning communities, designed to function as “small learning centers.” Centrally located within the facility is the student commons or “social heart” of the school, purposely located to celebrate the view of Mount Rainier. Community-use facilities are strategically located in the north quadrant of the building to allow for convenient access. Multi-function areas include the “Great Hall” with retractable seating and adjustable acoustics that can be used as both a performance space and an extension of the student commons. Acoustics throughout the school are vastly improved, deadening the noise from approaching jets so that students and teachers can interact normally. Sustainable features of the building include maximizing use of daylighting, use of “green” building materials, occupancy controlled lighting and HVAC, water conservation, energy-efficient windows and other materials. And, because noise is not the only issue with respect to neighboring SeaTac Airport, the mechanical system was designed to pre-filter air entering the building in order to provide a healthy environment for students and teachers. Grades 9-12 |  | ||||
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