In Omaha, Neb., a public high school and a YMCA come together in one facility, connecting the school with the broader community.
The 285,000-sf Westview High School, programmed and designed by the team of Perkins&Will and architect of record BCDM Architects, has its own athletic facilities but shares a pool, weight room, and more with the 30,000-sf YMCA.
“The Y and the public-school systems are the two largest youth development organizations in our county,” Chris Tointon, former president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Omaha, said in a statement. “Rather than build one Y and one school and stick them together, we needed to define as many needs as possible and work towards 100% utilization, so we received the biggest benefits of a shared facility.”
Students and YMCA members enter the building through two separate vestibules located next to each other in a common entry point. Students move into a two-story lobby that’s adjacent to student dining, while Y members go directly into the facility. Overlooking the lobby, an open-concept library features communal space that leads to a stair connecting the two spaces.
Creating a sense of community for the shared high school and YMCA
The design creates a sense of community with the central, large gathering spaces of the cafeteria, auditorium, media center, and gymnasium, in addition to the YMCA. The communal quality of these spaces has been balanced with a small-group student learning experience created by an array of rooms and nooks that foster various learning styles. Numerous spaces have been designed for student collaboration.
While the exterior features a simple beige brick and zinc palette, the school boasts abundant natural light as well as wood and brick. Classrooms and labs offer windows open to natural light.
The facility has been designed to withstand extreme weather volatility. The black box theater and locker rooms can also serve as storm shelters. These spaces’ windows have been high-stress treated, and the walls, roof, and pipes can withstand up to 250 mph winds and rain.
On the Building Team:
Owner: Omaha Public Schools
Design architect: Perkins&Will
Architect of record: BCDM Architects
MEP engineer: Alvine Engineering
Civil engineer: Sampson Construction
Structural engineer: Performance Engineering
General contractor: Sampson Construction
Related Stories
K-12 Schools | May 17, 2019
Tall schools, tight spaces: Giving students access to the outdoors requires considerable creativity
Verticality has some plusses, according to AEC firms that have engaged such projects recently.
K-12 Schools | Apr 25, 2019
How outdoor environments provide value to K-12 learning, health, and safety
Outdoor spaces at school offer students key opportunities to learn, problem solve, and mentally refresh.
K-12 Schools | Jan 21, 2019
Safer K-12 design: School should feel – and look – like school
In an age during which stories of bullying, school shootings, and mental health concerns are all too common, designers have a critical role to play in crafting K-12 schools that simultaneously promote engaged learning and student safety.
K-12 Schools | Nov 5, 2018
Modernizing schools is paying off in creating better learning and teaching environments
A new paper reports on a recent study of nine schools in Washington DC that gauged occupants’ perceptions.
K-12 Schools | Jul 26, 2018
K-12 market trends 2018: Common areas enable hands-on learning
Modern designs emphasize social and collaboration spaces outside the classroom.
| May 30, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: From micro schools to tiny houses: What’s driving the downsizing economy?
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), micro-buildings design expert Aeron Hodges, AIA, explores the key drivers of the micro-buildings movement, and how the trend is spreading into a wide variety of building typologies.
| May 24, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Security and the built environment: Insights from an embassy designer
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), embassy designer Tom Jacobs explores ways that provide the needed protection while keeping intact the representational and inspirational qualities of a design.
K-12 Schools | Jan 25, 2018
Cost estimating for K-12 school projects: An invaluable tool for budget management
Clients want to be able to track costs at every stage of a project, and cost estimates (current and life cycle) are valuable planning and design tools, writes LS3P's Ginny Magrath, AIA.
K-12 Schools | Jan 24, 2018
Hawaii’s first net-zero public school
G70 is the architect, planner, and civil engineer of record for the project.
K-12 Schools | Jan 22, 2018
Innovative learning environments and our ‘Heschong Mahone moment’
An education market think tank proposes a radical research concept for evaluating learning environments.
