A.J. Dimond High School
Anchorage School District, Anchorage, Alaska

The completed Dimond High School is an example of good design through collaboration.  Working with a number of stakeholder groups, the design team developed a design whose function enriches the lives of all who use the school.  The process began with making a choice: develop a renovation plan for the existing building or design a replacement school. Designing a replacement school was selected.  The final design was unique in that it allowed the new high school to be constructed while the majority of the existing buildings were kept in place, allowing the high school to remain operational. Because the school remained operational, teachers and students were not forced to undergo the stress of teaching and learning in a temporary, alien environment. Conversely, USKH design team members were able to improve upon the design as they observed daily usage of the existing building. This process resulted in a design that is rewarding for all involved – everyone’s voice was heard and responded to.

Size: 268,000-sf

Cost: $53,599,451

Specific Components

• Sited to only require the initial demolition of three of the existing 12 building areas allowing the school to function without significant disruption during the 30-month construction period.

• Flexible design, allowing a number of educational models to be utilized within this school – A traditional departmental approach can still be used (sections of the school are reserved for math, science, language arts, and social studies along with traditional art, music, and physical education activities;) or a more contemporary thematic model can be pursued where students are grouped separately and each group is taught basic educational material plus special emphasis subjects
• Academic wings are broken into four houses for 400 students each. Each house has a counselor, an administrator, a teacher planning area with individual work stations, public toilets, both resource and self-contained classrooms, 10 classrooms and 2 science classrooms with a science preparation area, and a large extended learning area with seating for up to 120.
• Two-story commons with clerestory natural light.
• The media center has a two-story volume with second-story circulation overlooking the media area.
• A balcony overlooks the commons with an open stairway leading down into the commons.
• A bridge leads from the balcony across the upper area of the commons to the physical education mezzanine running track
• The commons provides the entry to the academic areas of the school as well as both the auditeria and the gym/auxiliary gym and locker room areas.
• Administration is near the front door in order to supervise both the commons and the school entrance.
• Guidance is split off on either end of the commons with supervision of student bus entry.
• Both administration and guidance have a smaller floor area in these two areas due to further administration and guidance spaces distributed throughout the school academic areas.
• The auditeria (a theater that doubles as a cafeteria) opens to the commons to provide a large, open, flat floor for student dances and other evening events.
• The majority of the auditeria is tiered down using a series of 6-inch steps to provide better sight lines to the stage at the end of the space.
• The tiers are wide enough to seat students during lunch or provide seating for a theater, along with an orchestra level 36 inches below the front of the stage.
• The gym has a 3-lane mezzanine track (approximately 12 laps per mile) under which 1,750 bleacher seats stack on two sides.
• The existing pool and gym building was saved and turned over to the Municipality of Anchorage as the South Anchorage Recreation Center. A small boiler room addition was attached to this existing building.

• Recognized as an exceptional solution to the Anchorage School District education specification program for a new 1,600-student high school.
• Greenbelts
• Entrance plazas
• Landscaped berms
• Outdoor plazas
• Multiple parking lots
• Separate bus drop off zone and drive
• Service entrance
• Football, soccer, baseball, and tennis fields/courts 

Awards

CEFPI “Len Mackler Excellence in School Facility Design”
American Public Works Association - Alaska Chapter "2003 Design of the Year"

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