Westside High School
Omaha
Leo A Daly Company

Curriculum Dictates Change in this High School Renovation

© Paul Brokering

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

Located on a tight urban site, the original 40-year-old facility was crowded and aging. Major changes had to occur to bring the deteriorating high school known for its scholastic excellence into the twenty-first century. A $27.5 million bond issue was passed to make the 300,000 square-foot renovation and 80,000 square foot expansion possible.

The school has become a working prototype of a very forward-thinking curriculum. The facility is designed around a three-leveled Instructional Material Center, which serves as the center of information gathering by students and teachers as well as the main organizing element of the school. It consists of a library, a high-tech laboratory, student areas for collaborative studies, and workstations for faculty.

The architects brightened up the original building by locating a cafeteria with a curved wall of windows facing the main school entry and commons. This inviting space has become a magnet for students seeking a sunlit gathering area. A geo-thermal ground contact heat pump system provides free heating and cooling to the school from natural sources year-round.

Formal name of building:
Westside High School

Location:
Omaha

Gross square footage:
380,000 Sq. Ft.

Total construction cost:
$25 Million

Owner:
District 66, Westside Community Schools

Architect's firm:
Leo A Daly Company
8600 Indian Hills Drive
Omaha, NE 68114
Telephone: 402/391-8111
FAX: 402/391-8564