WRNS Studio announces the completion of the Sacred Heart Schools William V. Campbell Academic and Arts Center, the most recent addition to the Sacred Heart Schools (SHS) campus. An independent school located in Atherton, California, SHS serves approximately 1,600 students grades pre-kindergarten through 12, with an embedded mission to educate the whole child, to model social awareness, sustainability and community, and to foster interaction and cross-disciplinary learning.
Once an all-girls school, SHS’s 60-acre campus comprises educational and community programs including the Lower School, Middle School and High School. WRNS Studio’s work for SHS began with the master plan and design of the school’s Pre-K through 8 campus that comprised of four new buildings including a renovated gymnasium, a new Athletic Building, a renovated Preschool, and the award-winning Stevens Net Zero Library – the first Net Zero Energy school library certified by the International Living Futures Institute in the United States.
The William V. Campbell Academic and Arts Center encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration with flexible design and massing that creates shared spaces for informal interaction, both inside and outside the classroom. Designed to serve as a hub of activity, the building includes a dance studio, broadcast rooms, a photography dark room, classrooms, a ceramic studio, quiet lounges, and personal and academic counseling spaces. By bringing this diverse program under one roof, the building breaks down barriers between academics, art, and tinkering, helping to foster a supportive, collaborative environment.
Health forward and resource reduction strategies are woven into every aspect of the all-electric project; and a focus on comfort, natural daylight, good air quality and reduced carbon drove the systems and material choices. At-grade glass skylights at each entrance and skylights in large story spaces were used to reduce the need for artificial lighting. Open plans and transparent walls provide educational flexibility with visual connections to indoor and outdoor learning activities. Pulling the classroom outside, adjacent to the band facilities is an amphitheater that flows into the landscape and doubles as an extension of the classroom as well as seating during team collaboration.
Landscape design helps support different types of learning experiences through the campus. Inside, the design team used natural material palette—brick, wood and metal–adding visual interest with details, such as a crinkled curtain in the dance studio, made of perforated aluminum skin. Mechanical ventilation is reduced by 25% with all-electric projects including ceiling fans, operable windows, and radiant heating and cooling in the floors. In addition, a 346 kW PV array is installed on the roof and expected to result in a Net Zero Energy all electric building.
This all-electric project includes heat pump technology, ceiling fans, operable windows, and radiant heating and cooling in the floors. In addition, a 346 kW PV array is installed on the roof and expected to result in a Net Zero Energy all electric building. Recent project awards include The Peninsula Clean Energy All-Electric Leadership Award, (“All-Electric Commercial Leader” category) and the 2021 AIA San Mateo County Chapter (AIASMC) Green Building Award.
WRNS Studio Completes All-Electric, Interdisciplinary Sacred Heart William V. Campbell Academic and Arts Center
