Rocky Hill High School - "Graduation Elms"
Rocky Hill, Connecticut
• Renovate-as-new 152,326 square feet
• Capacity: 800 students in Grades 9-12
• A soft, green approach to creating a Connecticut High Performance Building
Inspiration for this design grew from the graduation ceremony itself. Often a high school renovation project is initiated by changes in curriculum, aged structural or mechanical problems, or by changes in the codes that protect us. While that remains true, these factors do not inspire a design idea. However, the loss of Elm Street’s once prominent trees to disease sparked the idea of introducing a tree lined promenade.
Under a tight budget, this soft design strategy allowed the team to target the project funding toward the practical replacements of operating systems and programmatic changes to the plan. The softening of the east entry and the design of a new, fully accessible west entry added to the beauty, safety and flow of the site.
Photographs by: Heather Conley Photography