Kent City Schools – A “District-Wide” Renovation Project

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Kent City Schools – A “District-Wide” Renovation Project
The district is passionate about education and operates six school buildings. ThenDesign Architecture helped educators create a district-wide master plan for renovations on all six schools operating in Kent.

Kent City Schools - A District-Wide Renovation Project

Kent City Schools is a large school district serving over 3,000 students. Established in the 1860s, the district is passionate about education and operates six school buildings spread across the City of Kent, Franklin Township and the Village of Sugar Bush Knolls. While the buildings are well maintained, changes in the educational landscape and the age of the facilities necessitated improvements. A $25 million “No New Tax” construction bond was passed in 2020 and is being used to make renovations to each facility. The master plan identifies three major improvement categories and renderings have been developed showing the anticipated improvements coming to the schools. Despite the challenges facing educators in 2021, Kent City Schools is focusing on education and executing a district-wide renovation project.

A rendering of the exterior of the new Theodore Roosevelt High School gymnasium addition.
A rendering of the interior of the new Theodore Roosevelt High School gymnasium.
A rendering of the new field house and synthetic turf at Theodore Roosevelt High School.

Renderings of the Roosevelt High School gymnasium addition, artificial turf and Field House

"No New Tax” Bond Issue is a unique opportunity for Kent citizens to improve our facilities without raising taxes ... Funds generated from this Bond Issue will allow us to make needed upgrades to all six Kent schools."
George Joseph
Superintendent of Kent City Schools

Challenges for Many School Districts in Ohio

Across the state, many school districts are faced with the difficult decision of how to deal with aging facilities. While some can construct new buildings, it isn’t always necessary, and in some instances, renovation is a wiser economic decision. 

Kent operates six schools in their district: Davey, Longcoy, Holden and Walls are elementary schools, Stanton Middle School serves grades 6-8, and Theodore Roosevelt High School serves grades 9-12. Since they are all in different locations, built at different times, (the oldest was built in the 1920’s and the newest opened in 1999), each has its own unique characteristics and needs.

Due to the maturation of an existing construction bond the district was able to make improvements to every facility without raising costs in the community. Considering the number of buildings and budget involved, a district-wide renovation project maximized the impact on student’s education.

Since the schools were well maintained, it makes upgrading them easier and more cost effective. The district can maintain the history of each building and neighborhood connection, while installing critical modern mechanical systems that will breathe new life into the structures and improve the occupant’s thermal comfort.

Theodore Roosevelt High School Stanton Middle School Davey Elementary School Walls Elementary School Longcoy Elementary School Holden Elementary School
The entrance to the Theodore Roosevelt High School.
Theodore Roosevelt High School, home of the Rough Riders.
An existing entrance to Theodore Roosevelt High School.
This entrance will be updated with a new secure vestibule.
Richard Roberts Auditorium will receive many upgrades in the renovation.
Seating in the auditorium will be replaced.
"Univents" will be replaced in classrooms, providing better indoor air quality.
The exterior of Stanton Middle School.
The Stanton Middle School Marquee.
An entrance to Stanton Middle School.
This entrance will receive the new secure vestibule.
This entrance will be impacted by the new secure vestibule.
Some spaces are receiving new flooring.
Stanton will receive upgraded LED lighting throughout.
The exterior of Davey Elementary School.
Entrance of Davey Elementary School.
The entry will receive a new secure vestibule.
Classrooms will receive new "univents" for improved air transfer.
Some spaces will receive new flooring.
Historic details of Davey Elementary.
Brickwork on historic Davey Elementary School.
Elevation details on Davey Elementary School.
The exterior of Walls Elementary School.
The entrance to Walls Elementary will receive a new secure vestibule.
Signage on Walls Elementary School.
A colorful bench outside the school.
The entrance which will receive a new secure vestibule.
Classrooms will receive new LED lighting for improved visibility and color reproduction.
New classroom "univents" will improve indoor air quality.
The exterior of Longcoy Elementary School.
The entrance which will receive a new secure vestibule.
This interior entrance will receive a new secure vestibule.
Classrooms will receive new "univents" and LED lighting for a better educational environment.
An exterior pathway outside Longcoy Elementary.
An exterior shot of classrooms outside Longcoy.
Longcoy Pride
The exterior of Holden Elementary School.
The entrance to Holden Elementary which is receiving a secure vestibule.
The existing entry of Holden Elementary which will receive a new secure vestibule.
Classrooms are receiving new LED lighting.
Classrooms are receiving new "univents" to provide air conditioning and better indoor air quality.
New LED lighting is being installed in office spaces as well.

Kent City Schools - Existing Conditions

The district has done an excellent job of maintaining their facilities. They have made a commitment over the decades to keep up with the technological and physical improvements needed for each school.
Cheryl Fisher
Educational Planner

The Bond Issue

In the spring of 2020, the community passed a “No New Tax” Bond issue. This new construction bond was key to making the large-scale improvements planned by the district.

Gratefully, George Joseph, the Superintendent of Kent Schools, stated: “Our “No New Tax” Bond Issue is a unique opportunity for Kent citizens to improve our facilities without raising taxes. Although we constantly maintain and repair our facilities, the district has not had the funding to make substantial building improvements or additions in the last 20 years. Funds generated from this Bond Issue will allow us to make needed improvements and upgrades to all six Kent schools.”

A construction bond is a commitment made by the community to pay a certain amount of taxes which go towards permanent construction or asset improvements. Kent City Schools took advantage of the maturing bonds issued over 20 years ago from the construction of the Stanton Middle School and improvements in Roosevelt, and Davey schools. This new bond now finances the cost of renovations to the schools in 2020-2021 without raising taxes.

The superintendent was grateful to the community for their support. He stated, “Thank you to the Kent community for your overwhelming support of the Kent City Schools by voting to support the “No New Tax” Bond Issue in April…it makes a huge difference in making needed improvements and upgrades to our six school buildings.” Mr. Joseph has been a tireless advocate for students and educators in the Kent school system, “Our educators care deeply about students and their academic and emotional success. We are grateful for the support of the Kent community.”

This bond issue enabled the district to make these large-scale improvements to support future students.

A site plan showing the revised parking layout around Theodore Roosevelt High School.

Three Categories for District-Wide Renovations

Kent City Schools engaged with The Impact Group, their Strategic Planning facilitator, to gauge the community’s preference on renovation versus new construction. According to the Impact Group, the Kent community turned out for the highest level of participation they had ever experienced. 41% of respondents supported renovations, while 31% supported new construction. Renovating existing facilities was a clear choice in the community.

Leading up to construction for the district, Kent City Schools partnered with ThenDesign Architecture to create an educational masterplan for the district. This extensive process allowed the administration and educational planners to work together, identifying the needs and opportunities for each school facility.

Having this master plan allowed the designers to identify a roadmap for educational success in the district. Even though the buildings had not received significant improvements in the last 20 years, they were very well maintained and good candidates for renovation.

Cheryl Fisher, an educational planner with TDA worked extensively with the district on their plans. “We started assessing all of the district facilities and identifying what their building needs were district-wide and even exploring the possibility of new schools with the OFCC. We looked at the facility condition, we looked at educational adequacy of space and worked with a large “facilities improvement cabinet” and went through an in-depth analysis of the data. The project was just so big, we had to come up with a list of priorities.” These priorities revolved around, safety and security, improving the instructional environment and upgrading the athletic and performing arts facilities.

During the design process, the district has engaged with educators, students and professionals on the new building improvements. In late October 2020, students in the urban forestry program engaged with professionals, including Geo-Sci, a local Geotechnical and Engineering consultant, to take soil samples where the future addition will be located. Since the land being developed is near a wooded lot, this new construction project becomes a real time “laboratory” for high school students to better understand the impact of construction on the natural environment.

Student engagement in the Urban Forestry Program

"Our educators care deeply about students and their academic and emotional success. We are grateful for the support of the Kent community."
George Joseph
Superintendent of Kent City Schools

1) Safety and Security for Students

The first area of improvement was in rethinking safety and security for students.

As education has evolved, so has the need to maintain the perimeter of schools and keep track of visitors. Modern schools utilize “secure vestibules,” as a transition space that allows guests to check in using electronic access controls, ensuring the administration can run a background check on visitors before they enter the building.

Since most of the schools in the Kent district were built before secure entries were considered necessary, all 6 schools in the district will get enhanced security at the entrances. Features include electronic access controls and security cameras. These measures will make a huge difference in allowing staff to maintain a safe environment for students. In addition, site security will be improved by providing each building with energy efficient, high output LED lighting in their parking lots. Not only does this feature enhance safety forces patrolling the schools, it also enhances visibility for families attending after-school activities in the early mornings or evenings.

Student parkers at the high school now have to cross the heavily trafficked Roosevelt Drive to enter the school. With the reconfigured site plan, Roosevelt Drive will be moved to the south and all parking relocated to the north of Roosevelt Drive creating a safer entry. The visitor and ADA parking spaces are also moved closer to the main secure entrance along with a drop off lane separate from the bus drop off. The bus drop off road that enters off the north entrance of Mantua has been widened to allow parallel parking along this road while providing a fire lane.

The entry will receive a new secure vestibule.
A rendering of the new secure vestibule in Davey Elementary.
The existing entry of Holden Elementary which will receive a new secure vestibule.
A rendering of the new secure vestibule in Holden Elementary.

Secure Vestibules for Davey and Holden Elementary Schools

2) Improving the Instructional Environment

The majority of student’s time is spent in a classroom or other instructional environments. When determining important facilities upgrades, the classroom environment was prioritized with two major improvements for every building in the district.

The first of these improvements is replacing the fifty plus year old ‘univent’ classroom heating and ventilation units. The existing units have no capability for air conditioning and take around 30 minutes to completely exchange the indoor air. The new system replaces those with heating and cooling units which exchange air in almost half the time, provide a better indoor air mix and are equipped with bipolar ionization capabilities. The air quality and thermal comfort of the students will be greatly improved with these new univents while also reducing maintenance costs. The second major improvement to the learning environment will be new LED’s replacing the aging fluorescent bulbs. LED lighting has many benefits including energy efficiency, better light output, long lasting lifespan and a much better CRI count. “CRI” or “color rendering index” measures a lights ability to represent colors in a more natural way, with higher CRI’s being better suited for educational environments.

Additionally, two of the elementary schools (Holden and Walls) are receiving new gymnasium floors, while the Davey and Longcoy gym floors were refinished in the summer of 2020. Davey and Stanton also will receive new flooring to replace finishes that have failed with age.

"The new gymnasium complex, stadium synthetic turf and new field house will be dramatic changes at Theodore Roosevelt High School. The security vestibules at each school increase student and staff safety. The lighting and air conditioning improvements will create a better educational environment."
Brad Gellert
Project Manager

Athletic Engagement Session in Richard Roberts Auditorium

3) Improving Athletic and Performing Arts Facilities

Finally, Theodore Roosevelt High School is receiving several upgrades in the form of improving the athletic facilities and performing arts spaces.

As budgets and plans were formulated, TDA began engaging directly with the district on designs for the new sports field, gymnasium, and field house. Teachers, administrators, and coaches met with representatives from TDA and Shook Construction to get updates on the design and construction progress. Among the details discussed, were preliminary plans for the new gym and field house.

The new gymnasium complex will be a large addition to the high school and will dramatically change athletic events there. The addition creates a new 14,000 sf gym that includes a new entryway, ticket booth, concession stand, athletic storage, locker rooms and an 1,800 sf multipurpose space to be used in the winter season for wrestling. Completing the athletic upgrades will be the high school natatorium. It is budgeted to get new bleachers and filtration system.

Cheryl having worked closely with the team throughout master planning noted: “They’re one of the few districts of this size and enrollment that only has one gym. They are challenged when trying to fit all the activities scheduled during the day and night during game seasons. This addition gives them a new gym which is larger than the old one and allows them to have a competition and auxiliary gym. So multiple activities can take place simultaneously.”

Theodore Roosevelt High School students can also look forward to a new synthetic turf field with an adjacent field house that houses a concession stand, public restrooms, “spirit shop,” varsity team locker rooms and training room. The stadium is also receiving an upgraded sound system, and lighting improvements.

Finally, additional plans are underway for the 50-year-old Richard Roberts auditorium. Improvements to this performance space include a thrust stage extension that will improve acoustics while adding performance space, widened aisles for easier visitor access, wayfinding floor level LEDs, acoustic treatment, and new red upholstered auditorium seating and carpeting throughout the auditorium.

“The district recognizes the value of the school system and they want to be good stewards of what the community trusts in terms of money, the quality of education and the quality of spaces.”
Cheryl Fisher
Educational Planner

Kent City Schools - A District-Wide Renovation Project

The net result of these changes across 6 buildings, is a big impact on the quality of education, athletics, and artistic pursuits by students. The cumulative effects of such improvements make a profound difference in the overall educational experience.

Improving on existing facilities through renovation work can breathe new life into structures, extending their life spans. Targeted improvements in facilities provide solutions that will service the community for decades to come. Kent City Schools, by assessing their current facilities, master planning and executing on their plans shows that a district-wide renovation project can be successful.

To stay up to date on future construction announcements, visit the Kent City Schools website.

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.
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Brunswick Middle School – Brunswick Ohio

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Brunswick Middle School – Brunswick, Ohio
The Brunswick Middle School is a 21st century learning facility designed to serve grades 6-8 in the Brunswick City School District. This LEED Silver, 243,000 SF building houses 1,660 students and replaces three aging middle schools. Learn more about what went into this project below.

The Brunswick Middle School is a 21st century learning facility designed to serve grades 6-8 in the Brunswick City School District. This 243,000 SF building houses 1,660 students and replaces three aging middle schools, two of which were previously on the site. A design concept for the building was to create a network of 18 “learning pods,” connected to a “central hub” of shared spaces. This LEED Silver project includes four classrooms per pod, with six pods dedicated per grade. The “central hub” consists of student dining, a media center and “Project Lead the Way,” STEM classrooms. Adjacent to the hub are two gyms, and an auditorium with music rooms. A stadium and athletic field is also connected to the hub on the east side of the property.

Under a tight design and construction deadline, the district, architects, and construction professionals worked closely to keep the project moving forward and on budget, despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Brunswick Educational Visioning Session

Early in the building’s design, Brunswick City School District had a clear vision for implementing a modern and collaborative educational curriculum. They wanted teachers to have the freedom to create customized lesson plans for each student, instead of following a standardized plan. This flexible approach directly impacted the architecture and new educational spaces were needed. The community was engaged through an “educational visioning session” early in the design process. Over 100 attended this session and stakeholders engaged on school program analysis, building layout and elevation designs. Through this, stakeholders saw how architecture could support their curriculum goals.

Site Influence

A major design hurdle was dealing with the 34’ grade change distributed among three existing plateaus at different elevations on the site. Designers used these plateaus to situate the major elements of the facility. Parking was located on the top plateau which gradually sloped to the middle plateau where an exterior bridge connected the sidewalk to the building’s main entry and interior “connecting hub.” This hub fed circulation to the athletics field and stadium on the lowest plateau.

Two existing middle schools, Visintainer and Edwards Middle Schools, were on the site and had to remain operational throughout construction. When it was completed, the team only had three months to demolish these and build the parking lot for the new facility in order to open for the 2020-2021 school year.

The entrance bridge is a striking feature of the Brunswick Middle School. It created a large public entrance, allowed for exterior windows on the “Project Lead the Way” STEM classrooms and carved out a unique exterior plaza below. This became an extension of student dining and hosts a large collaborative stair for outdoor gatherings, performances, and classes.

Brunswick Middle School Interior Design

Student dining serves as the “connecting hub,” located on the middle plateau of the site. Its interior design colorfully displays Brunswick’s signature blue and networks together the “learning pods” and other major interior spaces.

Since the district intended small groups of students and teachers to work together, each of the eighteen “learning pods,” consist of a central collaborative space surrounded by four classrooms. While each classroom serves a specific subject, the collaborative area is a flexible, extended learning area that houses technology, white boards, student lockers and educational furniture for its small group of students. Six pods are dedicated to each grade in the Brunswick Middle School. Architectural and interior designers paid careful attention to the lighting in these collaborative spaces. To enhance lighting and the overall aesthetic, special ceiling soffits and lighting fixtures add texture to the ceiling, ensuring plenty of light for group activities.

Auditorium and Gymnasium

To expand the music program, the district included a new performing arts center in the Brunswick Middle School. The auditorium seats 700 people and is connected to several large music rooms for vocal, orchestra and instrumental practice. One semester of music is a district requirement for Brunswick students and an important part of their education.

The Media Center, while still containing physical books, was designed to accommodate modern, digital media. It includes a small “maker’s space” and a dedicated green screen recording studio.

The Brunswick Middle School now has a full gymnasium and auxiliary gym which will support their expanding sports program. An eight-lane track, synthetic turf sports field and stadium are situated at the rear of the site. These new facilities will become an important venue for future athletic events in the district.

Project Design Challenges:

  • Develop an architectural solution on a complicated site, that incorporated a 34' vertical grade across 3 plateaus to accommodate parking, athletics, the school building and district wide bus storage and maintenance facility.
  • On a tight design and construction schedule, build a new structure adjacent to the two existing middle schools, Visintainer and Edwards Middle Schools, demolishing them before the school year begins.
  • Design architecture that supports the district's educational vision, allowing teachers more flexibility in their spaces to help them develop individualized lesson plans and student schedules.
  • Ensure excellent lighting to support educational activities. This included both artificial and natural lighting solutions where possible.

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.
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New Educational Wickliffe Campus

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New Educational Wickliffe Campus
Wickliffe City Schools has been ambitiously planning the new educational Wickliffe Campus to house students in a Pre-K through 12th grade facility which will replace the aging city schools in their area. We are honored to present a video animation of the new facility, narrated by Wickliffe High School students.

Wickliffe City School District has been ambitiously planning the new educational Wickliffe Campus to house students in a Pre-K through 12th grade facility which will replace the aging city schools in their area. Engaging with the community, the district has been presenting their educational vision which seeks to address the challenges that students face, ensuring they receive the best educational opportunities possible.

Working together with Wickliffe City School District, we are honored to present a video animation of the new facility. Narrated by Wickliffe High School students, viewers can get an inside look at how the new facility will impact future attendees.

Education in Wickliffe, Ohio:

In a News Herald article in early 2020, Wickliffe School District Superintendent, Joseph Spiccia identified his “four E philosophy, Employed, Enrolled, Enlisted or an Entrepreneur” and focused on ensuring these are present in every graduating class. These beliefs are part of a larger motivation to build a future ready education model for all students going through Wickliffe Schools. He and Julie Ramos, the Director of Strategic Innovation, are driven to develop student outcome and seek to expand the format and educational opportunities in the district.

In 2019, voters approved a $60 million bond issue, which allows for the construction of a new pre-k through 12 educational campus which will serve as the single school building for the district. It will replace the aging elementary, middle and high schools. The two story, 204,000 SF building incorporates spaces that will greatly expand opportunities for the curriculum, provide students better collaborative spaces, flexible classrooms and athletic areas, adjacent to a new performing arts center that seats 500. In addition, the new facility allows expansion of the Family Resource Center, a community center that offers free services to many who are in need. 

“We need to make sure the curriculum and the programs are broad enough to meet the needs of this diverse group of students."
Joseph Spiccia
Wickliffe School District Superintendent

“Our priorities are to ensure our students are future ready,” states Superintendent Joe Spiccia. “We need to make sure the curriculum and the programs are broad enough to meet the needs of this diverse group of students. Another priority is to create a culture and environment that takes great advantage of the wonderful tradition of the community yet moves the community forward progressively.”

Project Renderings:

Construction is slated to begin in late spring of 2021 and will take around 2 years to construct. The new facility is scheduled to open for the start of the 2023-2024 school year. We appreciate the opportunity to work with districts to realize their educational goals and develop spaces, such as the new educational Wickliffe Campus which will serve students for decades to come.

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Communications

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Recent Posts:

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.

North Royalton High School Renovation and STEM Wing Addition

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North Royalton High School Renovation and STEM Wing Addition
The North Royalton High School renovation and STEM Wing addition project modernized the school's building systems, spaces, and infrastructure across the 260,000sf facility, better preparing it for the demands of modern education. Take a look at what went into the design of the facility.

The North Royalton High School renovation and STEM Wing addition project modernized the school’s building systems, spaces, and infrastructure across the 260,000sf facility, better preparing it for the demands of modern education. A central component of this capital improvement included a 100,000sf STEM addition which added a new gymnasium, technologically advanced classrooms, flexible collaborative spaces, and additional circulation space. The addition, which is LEED Silver rated, also creates a new student hub that connects student dining and the media center which are renovated existing spaces, integrating the new and the old spaces on the ground level. This open interior space also provides a second-floor pathway connecting the new structure to the existing areas. The district can now consolidate classes into centralized “hubs,” enabling better student and educator collaboration.

New STEM Wing Interior

The STEM Wing addition sits at the front of the existing high school and adds 20 classrooms, various collaborative hub areas, a new auxiliary gym, an extended student dining area and new “maker spaces,” or digital shop rooms that host 3D printers and other fabrication equipment.

Conceived as a physical bridge between the “old and new,” this new construction project becomes a central circulation hub which literally joins the new and old structures. There was previously a “choke point” on the ground level for students trying to get from one second floor to the other, since there were no second-floor connections between the existing wings of the building. At the center of the space is an extended student dining area, lockers, charging ports for educational devices and a large collaborative stair. Located adjacent to the renovated media center and main student dining areas, these spaces are now connected allowing for much better flow.

Prior to the new wing’s completion, classes for science, math and the humanities were scattered throughout the school making collaboration between both educators and students difficult. With the new space, these related fields have been reorganized. Classrooms for a particular field are now consolidated around “hubs,” or extended learning areas that can be used for work outside the classroom and oriented towards small group interactions and teaching opportunities.

Overall geometry in the interior was inspired by natural circulation, as the new wing features a series of circular curves repeated throughout the building which helps students flow from class to class, eliminating tight choke points and emphasizing the school’s modern aesthetic.

Interior Spaces

Public Corridor

In addition to classroom and collaboration spaces, the North Royalton High School renovation project adds a new axillary gym which sits at the head of a corridor that now connects to the larger competition gym and the school’s performing arts center. This connecting hallway becomes an “interior public corridor” that can be closed off from the rest of the school when hosting large public events and activities. A media hub is connected to this corridor and furthers opportunities for adult education.

Exterior

The existing high school was largely split into two large masses which appeared to be separate buildings. This caused confusion with the building’s entrance, leading to challenging traffic flow. To solve this, the new addition was designed to sit at the front of the site giving the school more visual presence from the site entrance and better representing the district.

Brickwork that was similar to the existing building visually blended the new construction with the two existing building masses. The patterns and rhythm of window openings from the original building were carried over, then stretched and morphed to highlight the central spaces and provide more daylight in the interior. Entrances were emphasized by incorporating more glass along with dynamic brick patterning.

Educational Visioning with the North Royalton Community

Before the school project broke ground, the North Royalton City Schools had been developing their vision for education and how to best move their schools forward in the coming decades.

As they worked to pass a bond issue to fund their plan, including the renovations to the high school, ThenDesign Architecture partnered with NRCS, to assist them in building community support for this project. Jointly, we hosted an Educational Visioning Session which involved community members, educators, students, and administrators all working together, involving these stakeholders in the layout and design of the high school. As a result of the groundwork laid by the district and these engagement efforts, the bond issue passed, and the project design fully commenced. Throughout the project’s early design phases, community support was very positive as participants rallied around the district’s vision, initial designs, and educational philosophy for their community.

The North Royalton High School renovation and STEM Wing addition project modernizes the building and will serve the district’s educational goals for decades into the future.

Project Design Challenges:

  • Renovate a high school built in the 1950’s whose last addition was completed in the 1980's.
  • Build a new 100,000SF addition to replace the 1950’s portion of the building, which will be demolished towards the end of construction.
  • Create a second-floor connection between the original school building built in the 1950’s to the 1976 and 1988 addition, alleviating circulation problems in the school.
  • Blend the new construction aesthetically into the existing building, so there is visual continuity in this structure as well as between the school and its surrounding context.
  • Reorganize classrooms for math, science, language arts and the humanities which were currently spread around the building.

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

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Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.
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Garrett Morgan High School – Cleveland Ohio

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Garrett Morgan High School - Cleveland Ohio
ThenDesign Architecture is proud to be a part of the Garrett Morgan High School building project. This academic facility is located along Detroit Ave. near downtown Cleveland and will serve students in the district for decades to come.

The Garrett Morgan High School (GMHS) is an academic building designed in an urban context, with a curriculum that focuses both on the humanities and technology. Situated on a 5 acre site, this 133,000 sqft building carried a budget of $35 million and is located along the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway, adjacent to Lake Erie, near downtown Cleveland. Occupying a highly sought after site, GMHS boasts incredible views of downtown Cleveland, in addition to its flexible technologically advanced classroom spaces.

The project, located in the Gordan Square Landmark District, was a collaboration between many stakeholders including the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Ward 15’s Councilman Matt Zone, the Cleveland Landmarks and Planning Commission, the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization and residents of the local community. Throughout the design process, these stakeholders were regularly consulted in a variety of engagement events to identify design goals and encourage collaboration.

Exterior Views:

Located in a tight urban context, the building seeks to reflect the urban fabric it’s located in and the energy of the street activity in its façade and spacial arrangements. Student dining and music spaces are located along Detroit avenue (a commercially zoned environment), which historically hosted restaurant and music venues. The schools’ main entrance is also located along Detroit Ave., adjacent to the main circulation bridge which is raised, allowing easy access from the parking lot to the rest of the urban context.

Interior Spaces:

Collaborative spaces include a Media Center that supports large gatherings, offering stunning views of downtown Cleveland, this also hosts a large collaborative stair. Recognizing it’s location in a commercial sector, glazing is emphasized throughout the building. The school offers key views to interior activity spaces and also to exterior landmarks. During the engagement process, a potential collaboration with community partners in the Gordan Square Arts District was identified which could allow students to use existing auditoriums on Detroit Ave. Due to this potential partnership, the district decided against building a dedicated auditorium space.

Architectural Details:

Since there was no space for outdoor athletics, the site hosts a walking path along it’s perimeter, (identified by unique pavers) and features distance markings to provide some outdoor activity spaces. In addition, it connects outdoor patio spaces to support bus stops regularly used by the student body and community.

In order to learn more about the unique design process for this project, get in touch with us, or view the short film. 

Let’s work together to make education better. Interested in speaking with us? Get in touch!

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

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Recent Posts:

Ryan Caswell

Ryan Caswell

Ryan is a communications specialist who is passionate about using digital media to further the goals of organizations and communities in Northeast Ohio. With a background in construction and a degree in architecture, he spent over a decade in corporate video production and brings this mindset to videography, editing, photography and content marketing. He is passionate about supporting the arts, and can be found hiking in the parks system.
See more Posts