Laurian Ghinitoiu

OBJETIVO

Like many schools in the Northern Virginia region, overcrowding played a role. In 2014, county officials approved the decision to move the co-located programs to Arlington in the rapidly growing county. The building also had to take into consideration accessibility for students enrolled in the Shriver Program. These programs were located in the building for ease of access, mobility, increased or decreased stimulation and their overall daily curriculum in the school. This resulted in the program needing to be located on the first floor, as well as providing two levels that are accessible from the grade level, and two separate sets of elevators. The building also required spaces to provide students an occupational and physical therapy suite and a sensory cottage designed to aid in sensory processing.
BIG and Leo A Daly’s design scheme was to create a visually striking but functional and supportive environment – where the architecture and design could enhance the curriculum. Similarly, in keeping the surrounding neighborhood and former Wilson School in mind, BIG’s goal was for the building’s material palette to pay homage to the historical architecture of Old Town Alexandria.

CONTEXTO

BIG and Leo A Daly were commissioned in 2014 and worked closely with Arlington Public Schools (APS), WRAP (West Rosslyn Area Plan) and the Arlington community to design state-of-the-art educational facilities that support both H-B Woodlawn’s visual and performing arts-focused curricula and Shriver’s extensive resources for students with specialized educational needs.
Located along Arlington’s Rosslyn-Ballston corridor, The Heights merges two existing secondary schools – the H-B Woodlawn Program and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Program – into a new 180,000sf building to accommodate an expected enrollment of up to 775 students.

Situated within a compact urban site bounded by roads on three sides and a portion of Rosslyn Highlands Park, The Heights is conceived as a stack of five rectangular floorplates that rotate around a fixed pivot point, maintaining the community feeling and spatial efficiencies of a one-story school. Green terraces above each floor become an extension of the classroom, creating an indoor-outdoor learning landscape for both students and teachers — an educational oasis rather than a traditional school setting. A rotating central staircase cuts through the interior of the building to connect the four-tiered terraces, allowing students to circulate outside and forge a stronger bond between the neighborhood and the school. While the upper terraces are more suitable for intimate classes and quiet study areas, the spacious first terrace and 18,700sf recreation field also serve as public event venues for school-wide and neighborhood activities.