Hillcrest Junior High School is anything but junior when it comes to cutting-edge educational design. The replacement of this junior high school carried on the legacy of NWL Architects’ award-winning rebuild of the neighboring Murray High, and was a triumph of cohesive planning and thoughtful design.

NWL worked with Murray School District over a five-year period to master plan the replacement of the existing junior high school, which resulted in a new 180,000-square-foot junior high school that fully accommodates diverse academic, cultural, and athletic curriculum needs. Featuring ample natural daylight, low-glare artificial lighting, and thermal control and comfort, the school was designed to amplify the learning experience while increasing student and faculty well-being. With safety as top priority, the school was reconfigured away from the traffic and noise of State Street through the acquisition of adjacent property and reconstruction of existing public roadways. Also critical in the school’s new design was an enhanced performing arts program fortified by community grants and partnerships, as well as seamless learning technology integration for students and faculty.

Providing an optimized learning experience for Murray’s young people, the school was built with high-performance energy standards, geothermal heat exchange pumps for heating and cooling, and low-maintenance, durable materials and sustainable practices. The award-winning school was constructed with load-bearing concrete masonry and steel roof joists and decking and is clad in beautiful lightweight metal panels on the upper level, which complement the building’s ample glass and textured earth-toned masonry. The project was completed below budget and ahead of schedule – no doubt a win for the district and a victory for the Hillcrest Gladiators.