WADDELL, Ariz.—DLR Group, a firm providing architecture, engineering, planning, and interior design, recently received an Award of Merit from the American Institute of Architects for its design of Canyon View High School in Waddell.

This prestigious national award honors innovative designs that inspire learners, educators, administrators, and communities and enhance modern pedagogy.

Completed in 2018, Canyon View High School spans 237,120 square feet for its 2,000 students and consists of flexible teaching environments reinforced by digital platforms for learning.

“Canyon View High School is a special campus,” said DLR Group Senior Principal Pam Loeffelman, FAIA, in a statement.

“The design is the framework that allows the district to blur the lines between ages and abilities and to deliver a truly one-of-a-kind learning experience for students and educators. DLR Group is especially honored to be recognized by our peers for design excellence that positively impacts student success.”

During the award review process, jurors noted, “the project hits on equity, health, and accessibility. Every indoor-outdoor space is a place for socializing, movement, gathering, performing, and creating as a community of learners.”

DLR Group noted that in its design, ownership of the classroom is transferred to the collective school, allowing faculty to rotate through learning spaces weekly and affording students the ability to explore academic interests and curriculum. Prior to occupying the campus, DLR Group implemented its BOLD (Bridging Organization Learning and Design) service, which is a facility activation process. This change effort led to universal buy-in to a vision for the campus, resulting in a shift in teaching practices that align with the physical environment.

To achieve this, DLR Group’s design emphasizes spatial flexibility and sustainability as primary means of fulfilling the district’s goals.

The new $75.6 million high school offers the opportunity to strengthen relationships, foster multiple pedagogies for individualized learning opportunities, and nurtures a culture that is student-focused and faculty-guided. Classes have the flexibility to be held in spaces designed to suit the learning of the moment and adjust when necessary.

“The new facility enables innovation and measurable advancements in teaching and learning. These spaces allow teachers to advance their professional skills, and students to examine coursework more deeply to develop collaborative opportunity with peers globally,” said Dr. Dennis Runyan, superintendent, Agua Fria Union High School District, in a statement.

Chasse Building Team Inc. was the general contractor on this impressive project.

DLR Group and Canyon View High School have also received additional industry and educational accolades since the campus opened in 2018. Honors include the coveted James D. MacConnell Award by the Association for Learning Environments in 2019, and design and research awards through the AIA Arizona chapter.

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Top Ten Award hopefuls must demonstrate how the given project aligns with COTE’s rigorous criteria for social, economic and ecological value. Each year, 10 innovative projects earn the prize for setting the standard in design and sustainability, but in 2017 the organization completely revamped its measures of sustainable design and highlighted issues such as wellness, resilience and economy. The new measures and metrics emphasize the importance of actual performance in addition to design intent, according to the organization’s website.

Any US-licensed architect may enter and all submitting firms must have signed the AIA 2030 Commitment. The competition is open to completed new buildings, renovations, restorations, interior architecture and urban/regional plans located anywhere in the world; however, projects must have been completed at least three months prior to the submission deadline.

Education facilities to receive the 2017 COTE Top Ten Award include:

• Bristol Community College’s John J. Sbrega Health and Science Building in Fall River, Mass., designed by Sasaki
• Chatham University’s Eden Hall Campus in Richland Township, Pa., designed by Mithun
• Discovery Elementary School in Arlington, Va., designed by VMDO Architects
• George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health in Washington D.C., designed by Payette and Ayers Saint Gross​
• R.W. Kern Center at Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., designed by Bruner/Cott & Associates
• Stanford University’s Central Energy Facility in Stanford, Calif., designed by ZGF Architects LLP

Other projects to receive the 2017 COTE Top Ten Award include:

• Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach, Va., designed by SmithGroupJJR
• NOAA Daniel K. Inouye Regional Center in Honolulu, designed by HOK with Ferraro Choi & WSP
• Ng Teng Fong General Hospital & Jurong Community Hospital in Singapore, designed by HOK, USA; CPG, Singapore; and Studio 505, Australia
• Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage and Spring Street Salt Shed in New York, designed by Dattner Architects and WXY architecture + urban design

This year’s jury included Annie Chu, FAIA, IIDA, of CHU + GOODING ARCHITECTS, Woodbury University, Los Angeles; Steve Kieran, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C of Kieran Timberlake in Philadelphia; David Lake, FAIA, of Lake Flato in San Antonio; Bungane Mehlomakulu, PE LEED AP, of Integral Group in Austin, Texas; and Amanda Sturgeon, FAIA, of the Living Futures Institute in Seattle.

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