Joplin High School

Flexible, Collaborative Campus

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Client

Joplin R-VIII School District

Project Location

Joplin, MO

Students

3,000

Area

488,000 SF

After a devastating tornado destroyed 10 Joplin schools in 2011, the district and community rallied to chart a course for uninterrupted education for their students. This effort began with the rapid design and construction of the James D. MacConnell award-winning interim high school, and continued with a new, permanent facility constructed on the site of the former building. DLR Group’s design for the comprehensive, replacement high school incorporates educational concepts to prepare students for a “career to college” experience. The center of the school, known as Eagle Alley, brings this theory to life. A coffee shop, student store, and lease spaces provide business opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Joplin High School is designed to let a student experiment with a career pathway as in-depth as desired in a flexible and collaborative environment. Underclassmen have a chance to peer into career pathways of interest in technology, broadcasting, sciences, hospitality, culinary arts, automotive sciences, engineering, medical, and construction. Technology is a seamless component of the building infrastructure and an asset to flexibility for teachers and students.

The school’s landscape design provides a park-like setting for students and staff. Themed courtyards, from arts, commons, science and marketplace, and legacy, encourage students and teachers to use the site with places for outdoor experiments, studying, dining, and socializing.

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Students sit on concrete stepped seating with wood benches next to stairs, right, leading down to glass double door entry

Courtyard with grassy lawn and concrete stairs between 2 white buildings connected by skywalk. Orange accent panels on right

Wood floating stairs with black railing in white 3 story atrium. Orange accent mural to left of stairs reads Eagle Pride

Wood booths recessed into right wall in atrium with stone steps to floating stairs. Flexible wall classroom at end of hall

Nontraditional seating areas in front of white boards in room with red walls and carpets. Glass room with wood door, center

Plant lined stone pathway in courtyard with rounded organic rock fountain. Left, multicolor building connects to skywalk

Double height wood floor gymnasium. Blue and white bleachers at sides with retracted lower deck. Eagle mural on back wall

Football field with stadium lights to back of orange panel building with black wrapped facade and orange serrated accents

Coffee counter below drop ceiling accents, left. Seating areas on either side of hallway with communicating stairs at center

3 story black, white, and orange building with large windows with blue translucent panels. Across, skywalk connects buildings

Blue recessed room with wood reception desk and seating to left of main concrete staircase with stepped bench seating

Seating to right framed by orange ceiling accent in white hallway with geometric bookshelves in left wall. More seats beyond

Stone base on 1 story building with orange panels. Building labeled Franklin Technology Center is surrounded by native plants

History

One of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes in the history of the United States struck Joplin, Missouri, May 22, 2011. The tornado traveled along a 13-mile path destroying Joplin High School, the only public high school in town, on graduation day.

History

Interim

Fast-Track Design

DLR Group's fast-track design transformed an abandoned big box retail space into a 21st century high school in 55 days. The design was more than a stop-gap solution. It was an inspiration to students and served as a rallying point for the healing community. The school comprised six small learning communities that divided the larger student population into 200-student studios and offered a more intimate learning environment for students and staff. Small and large group collaboration areas with a variety of seating accommodated individual or group learning, while large openings, oversized pivot doors, and a diverse array of soft and structured furniture allowed students to customize spaces to fit their personal preferences. Many of these design features are found in the new high school.

The interim high school was more than a stop-gap solution. It was an inspiration to students and served as a rallying point for the healing community.

Change

Guiding Principles

History has shown us that crisis and innovation have resulted in systemic change. In the case of the design for the New Joplin High School innovation and crisis occurred simultaneously resulting in a national model for the design of future-ready learning environments. Responding to the immediate needs of a community without a high school, the design team was given the task of planning, designing and documenting a 488,000-SF state of the art high school in 8 months. Flexible-innovative methodologies were applied in the educational planning, schematic design, and project delivery. The guiding principles for the design were: building relationships; personalized learning; community shelter; critical thinking.