Sacred Heart School – Michael J. Homer Science and Student Life Center
Atherton, CA
Inspired by the Sacred Heart School’s mission and the innovative culture of nearby Silicon Valley, this high school building offers an educational environment that encourages scientific inquiry, fosters a strong learning community and promotes environmental stewardship on a daily basis.
The 45,000 square foot Homer Center integrates a hybrid program of eight interconnected science classrooms, a 400-seat auditorium, a dining hall, and student life offices. The building’s design promotes students’ scientific curiosity by expressing how it breathes (via exposed mechanical systems), uses energy (via live energy monitoring) and resists gravity (via exposed structural members). It builds community by offering a variety of inviting gathering spaces at the nexus of campus life. It models environmental stewardship through its inter-connection with the surrounding landscape and conservation of precious resources. The building is designed to use 69% less energy and 50% less water than a typical U.S. school, and is the nation’s first LEED for Schools Platinum-certified educational building.
- LEED Platinum Certification
- AIA National - Committee on the Environment, Top Ten Green Project
- AIA National - Educational Design Awards, Award of Excellence
- Sustainable San Mateo County, Green Building Award
- Client: Sacred Heart Schools
- Size: 45,000 sq. ft.
- Team: Charlie Stott, Project Manager for LMS Architects
- Photographs: Tim Griffith
