SHW Group and its educational strategist, Cambridge Strategic Services, worked with High School 2008 staff to establish a shared understanding of the meaning and the facility’s design implications of the instructional vision of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). SHW evaluated a variety of options to renovate and/or demolish the existing school structure and developed alternative timelines for delivery, including phasing plans for an occupied facility. The design firm also established sustainable design criteria and implementation strategies while facilitating staff and community dialogues.

High School 2008 will employ state-of-the-art technology for instructional programs, building security and energy performance-monitoring systems. The 214,700-square-foot project is being developed as a LEED-Gold facility and incorporates geothermal wells, rainwater harvesting, vegetated roofs, and solar energy collection for domestic hot water.