Redefining boundaries for dynamic spaces

The new project conditions a long-term transition to a new campus vision for a school with almost all existing classrooms housed in internally circulated, windowless structures. Given a project site constrained by existing buildings, a central quad, and the campus edge, the design blurs edges and disintegrates thresholds to create a new educational DNA.

Crafting a campus center

Cowboy Canyon functions similarly to a student union on a college campus, a place to gather between classes, hang out after school, have casual conversations with peers and caring adults, study, snack, and lounge. The collegiate student union fuses support services with the social and academic aspects of education. Introducing an interactive environment where students chart paths, manage time, and problem solve amplifies the pursuit of excellence.

The project’s site, at the center of the public entry, invites the chance to redefine the social and academic life of the campus. This location is a confluence of the community, administration, faculty, and student experience. Existing buildings and outdoor environments connect to the site. The natural environment, where water flows downhill and aggregates into tributaries that carve canyons, becomes a metaphor. Offering cooling shade, Cowboy Canyon is a dynamic source of life in the desert.