Client: North Thurston Public Schools
Size: 119,000 sf of new construction and 79,000 sf of modernization
Location: Lacey, WA

Timberline High School was built in the early 1970s around an “open floor plan” concept. With the exception of limited remodeling to enclose instructional areas and a weight room addition, the facility had not had any significant improvements during its 35-year life. The original school comprised eight buildings designed with an open plan and exterior circulation. A feasibility study recommended modernization of a portion of the existing campus while replacing many existing buildings with new construction. The resulting project was accomplished in three major phases: site preparation, new construction and modernization.

The new Timberline High School is a contiguous high school building organized around the “Student Union”, which includes the Commons, Library, Administration and Food Service. This area is the academic and social heart of the school, the “Great Hall” of the facility. Academic spaces are organized by department, with consideration to the interactions and adjacencies between departments, as well as the flexibility to organize spaces based on other curriculum models. The design both reflects and preserves the natural environment of its site; in the way the building is sited, and by the choices of forms and materials. The new school has a timeless, enduring character that is welcoming and fits prominently in the community.