North Atlanta High School Renovation

2012 Atlanta Urban Design CommissionAwards of Excellence Competition

The original school buildings date back to the early 1960’s and had expanded to nearly fill all of the developable land when two high schools combined to form North Atlanta High School in the early 90’s, growing the facility to 300,000 SF.

The most visible design change is the new entrance off Northside Drive. This entry element provides a discernible front door for the facility as well as signifying the significant changes within. The beacon-like element marks the facility as an important civic structure, and a point of pride for the community. The design team endeavored to relate the entry element with the scale of the existing buildings massing, palate of materials, and the scale of the iconic mast-supports. This new entry serves as both the main visitors entry as well as a lantern to the community, signaling evening events, clubs, meetings, and activities.

Study Model (RWH)

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before

The interior opens to an expansive light filled entry atrium featuring a compass pattern in the terrazzo floor, as well as a world map in aluminum plate commissioned specially for this project featured on a large interior wall. This atrium design signifies that one’s life journey is charted here.

The project originally started as a modest upgrade of building systems and grew to a comprehensive $27 million, 3-phase improvement program. As a late added requirement, the design anticipates the school’s eventual conversion to a middle school when a new high school is constructed in the next 3 - 4 years.

Renovations included the addition of windows in classrooms, introducing natural light. Additional renovations improved music, theater, gymnasium, assembly and cafeteria spaces. The overall effect is the transformation of dark, gloomy spaces to inviting, light filled spaces. Exterior spaces were improved with more appropriate plantings, pavements, structures, lighting and furnishings. The design produced a major transformation of an existing courtyard from a weedy and poorly utilized space to a verdant and useful social hub and outdoor amenity needed on this highly utilized site. Translucent canopies were added at the bus drop-offs, providing needed shelter and acting as attractive beacons of light for evening school events.

The renovation capitalized on the positive spaces and features of the building, working with them and adding needing elements to complete and transform the complex into a cohesive composition that has become a point of pride for students, educators and parents. As was stated in the project’s final public review: “The building has been like a painting that one leaves unfinished and is returned to over time. I feel that this addition finally brings the composition to completeness”.