The new Gallatin High School in Bozeman, Mont., was designed around the concept of a town center to be a place where people come together for a variety of purposes aligned with creating a unified, supportive, interactive community.
Instead of spreading the 300,000-sf school across two levels, the team designed a more compact solution that combines stacked one-, two-, and three-story wings. This layout helps reduce travel distances from one side of the school to the other, creates opportunities for key spaces to make physical and visual connections to the commons, and enhances efficiency in the building’s footprint, systems, and energy use.
Â
Â
The commons were central to the school’s design. Here, students and staff can gather for assemblies, speakers, small group gatherings, and individual study time. A grand staircase offers a “wow” factor but is also highly functional and includes a coffee bar and a cafe tucked beneath.
Â
Â
The ideas of cross-pollination and discovery are infused throughout the design to create visibility into other learning areas to spur interest in trying something new. Wider hallways and an abundance of natural light support a learning environment that feels accessible.
The 70-acre site comprises athletic fields, a trail system, parking areas, a competition track, a softball fields, and tennis courts.
Â
Â
Build Team
Civil Engineer: TD&H Engineering
Structural Engineer: DCI EngineersÂ
Acoustical Engineer: Big Sky Acoustics
Auditorium: Schuler Shook
Client name: Bozeman Public Schools
Related Stories
Education Facilities | Mar 8, 2019
Nature preserve on the Yangtze River will restore biodiversity to a polluted area
Ennead Architects, in partnership with Andropogon Landscape Architects, is designing the project.
Education Facilities | Feb 25, 2019
Fallingwater Institute’s summer residency programs have a new educational hub
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson designed the project.
Education Facilities | Feb 23, 2019
Construction completed on classroom/dorm combo building on Worcester Polytechnic’s campus
The latest addition embodies the school’s emphasis on collaborative problem-solving.
Education Facilities | Feb 13, 2019
STEM-focused school will cater to students who don’t speak English
Perkins+Will is designing the school.
Libraries | Feb 10, 2019
New library branch in San Diego opens with its community’s learning and working traits in mind
It features larger gathering spaces and more technology than its predecessor.
Green | Jan 28, 2019
This is the country’s greenest academic building
Perkins+Will designed the building.
Education Facilities | Jan 22, 2019
Rethinking classroom design to promote collaboration
A dynamic learning space needs to center around the learner, and be flexible enough to transform into any configuration that will facilitate collaboration, especially as curriculums change.
Education Facilities | Jan 21, 2019
N.J. middle school puts its small site to use
The school is named in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision of the “Beloved Community.”
Education Facilities | Jan 8, 2019
Greenwich Village’s Grace Church School receives rooftop athletic center expansion
Murphy Burnham & Buttrick Architects designed the addition.
Education Facilities | Oct 31, 2018
BIG and WeWork collaborate on the first WeGrow school in NYC
WeWork is designed to help children learn through introspection, exploration, and discovery.
