Hockinson Middle School

The newly redesigned Hockinson Middle School accommodates 600 students and will meet the School District’s current and evolving educational programs, including modern science and technology spaces (STEM), accessibility requirements, and security needs. The new building facilitates next-generation learning practices, offering grade-level learning environments arranged around common areas providing break-out and extended learning opportunities, a glass enclosed maker space, and a variety of areas to support diverse learning styles. The design team, alongside the teachers and staff at Hockinson Middle School, explored a classroom layout that went beyond the typical old model of rectangular classrooms with a hierarchical “front” inhabited by the teacher.

The modern design does away with the single classroom teaching wall, and instead provides two whiteboards and seating for students in three circular pods of desks, with a “teaching station” nestled in the corner of the room. This design allows the teacher to move freely about the classroom, and students can focus on who or whatever the topic-at-hand is, not just on a single wall of the room.

The new school is built to the standards of the Washington State High-Performance School Buildings Program, ensuring a high level of sustainability and economic and financial efficiency.