National magazine touts building as example of flexible, interactive space

The new Corvallis High School has been awarded the William W. Caudill Citation as the top entry in a K-12 design contest sponsored by American School & University magazine.

The school, which was completed in September of 2005, was featured in the 2007 Architectural Portfolio in the November edition of the magazine.

Both the school and Dull Olson Weekes Architects, the Portland firm hired to design the new campus, were cited in the annual competition, which honors design excellence and spotlights projects representing some of the most effective learning environments in America.

According to the jurists' comments, Corvallis High School was a prime example of a flexible design that encourages student-teacher interaction through its clustered classrooms and open instructional areas. The school was also praised for its array of gathering spaces for students, including the double-height media center and lobby, as well as the architects' ability to fit the new structure on the site of the former school building while it was still being used.

"Corvallis High School stands as a tribute to this community," Superintendent Dawn Tarzian said. "It represents the forward thinking of former school district leadership and the strong partnership that we have with our community. I am so pleased to see the school district and Corvallis community honored with this award."

Two representatives of Dull Olson Weekes attended Monday night's school board meeting to present the award plaque to the district.

Education specialists George Copa and Susan Wolff were also present and recognized for their help in guiding the design process in collaboration with students, teachers and community members. Copa is a professor in the College of Education at Oregon State University. Wolff, a research associate at OSU during the CHS planning, is now the chief academic officer at Columbia Gorge Community College in The Dalles.

Copa, who works with schools, colleges and state education agencies across the United States and internationally to facilitate educational design efforts, agreed that collaboration was a key ingredient in the quality of the design.

"The learning plan that provided the guidance for design of the new Corvallis High School is testament to the commitment of the leadership of the Corvallis School District to involve the community broadly and intensely in planning educational facilities and in putting learning for all students at the forefront of the planning process. It was very gratifying to see that commitment recognized and reinforced nationally through the award," Copa said.

Construction on the new school began in April of 2004. Classes began in the new facility 17 months later. The total cost of the 220,000-square-foot building came in at $38.6 million.