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The Reece School
Camino Nuevo High School
Dena New Primary Center
Four Corners School
John C. Daniels
Middle School, Sidwell Friends School
Vail Mountain School
Rosa Parks School
Klein Campus Center
North Central Junior High
PS 253QVail Mountain School
Vernacular mountain architecture provides a home-away-from-home to students in a skiing community.
The evolution of Vail Mountain School parallels that of the ski town itself. The opening of a ski resort in Vail in December, 1962, created a population of less than a hundred people. Vail Country Day School opened in October 1962, making it the oldest institution in the Vail Valley. In 1998, during its reaccredidation with the Association of Colorado Independent Schools, the leadership of VMS decided to significantly expand its educational program to accommodate 325 students.
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klipp designed Vail Mountain School to create a warm and friendly “home away from home.” The design solution maximizes the building’s limited site and respects the patterns of a traditional home. The plan arrangement places student gathering areas and public-use spaces along the site’s south facing “community edge” thus protecting the academic spaces from the obtrusive noise of Interstate 70. Exterior spaces connect with interior spaces to expand learning areas into the surrounding environment. Classrooms are clustered around protective courtyards allowing diffused natural light to enter into classroom spaces.
The main entry and Commons—the heart of the school—is centrally located. A main stair, adjacent to the Commons, allows vertical movement within the building and promotes the sort of casual interactions found within a home. The library meets the needs of both lower-school students and college-bound seniors. An intimate reading space accommodates the lower school, while seniors can use independent workstations adjacent to the Commons. The fireplace, a focal point within the Commons, demarcates the extended library space from the general assembly space. The Commons also welcomes Vail community members during pre-function activities for events held in the auditorium. The auditorium supports varied performances: from the delicate voice of a kindergarten student to the robust sound of a premier musical performance.
The building vernacular embraces materials associated with “mountain architecture” by using indigenous materials such as rough-sawn cedar board and Colorado moss stone with timber and copper accents. Local stone creates the building base, allowing the board and batten siding to accentuate the exterior walls’ texture. Expansive windows and extended overhangs in the dining hall capture the view of the dramatic Booth Falls to the south and the extended valley views to the west.
Formal name of project: Vail Mountain School
Location: Vail, Colorado
Gross square footage: 90,500 sq.ft.
Total construction cost: $17,825,000
Owner: Vail Mountain School
Architect:
klipp
1512 Larimer Street, Bridge Level
Denver, CO 80202
t: 303-893-1990
f: 303-893-2204
www.klipparch.com
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