This landmark project represents the first new high school campus constructed for Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) in more than 50 years. Developed to support the district’s “Academies of Louisville” educational model, the new three-story, state-of-the-art facility is organized around a central courtyard that encourages collaboration and hands-on learning among four specialized academies: Freshman, Innovate, Health Sciences, and Agri-science & Leadership. The comprehensive program includes advanced classrooms, specialized science and business laboratories, administrative offices, a multi-purpose room, cafeteria, media center, art studio, band room, greenhouse, agricultural barn, and two gymnasiums.

The structural design incorporates a combination of shallow and deep foundations, slab-on-grade construction, and elevated slab-on-metal-deck floor systems. The upper-level and roof framing consists primarily of steel joists and steel roof deck supported by masonry bearing walls. The building was strategically located at the highest elevation on the site to elevate it above the local flood plain. The secondary gymnasium was designed to function as a community tornado storm shelter.

The project also includes a comprehensive athletic complex designed to support a wide range of student sports. The complex features a new multi-sport football stadium with a high-performance turf field, supported by a dedicated concessions building and fieldhouse. The fieldhouse provides amenities for student-athletes as well as an indoor practice facility, creating a cohesive athletic campus that complements the new academic facility.

Photography
Renderings courtesy of Studio Kremer Architects