Northside High School Additions & Renovations

Overview

As a part of the 2020 Millage and Master Plan process for the Fort Smith Public School District, MAHG Architecture was brought on to investigate a series of additions and renovations to the sprawling Northside High School campus in an effort to confront student population growth and school safety. The project scope included an Administrative Addition, Freshman Center, Dining Expansion, and various interior renovations.

With intentional details of precast banding, tall window niches, playful steps in volume, and material matching, the new construction draws upon the look and character of the original school. Being respectful of the celebrated existing context was a driving force in the design, and led to unique moments where the new and the old blend into one.

The 4,500 sqft. Administrative Addition, on top of providing more office space, brought them out of the middle of the school to the forefront, establishing better wayfinding as well as adding secure entries into the school proper.

The 25,000 sqft. Freshman Center was added to accommodate 500 additional students after the district transitioned the 9th graders from the area Junior High Schools. The expansion includes 14 new classrooms, 2 science labs, and various support spaces, all working to connect the once separated Original High School structure and the Science Annex, allowing safer circulation of students and staff throughout the entire grouping of buildings. Framing the two historic entry towers, the new secure entries extend from the Administrative Addition to the Freshman Center, arranged to create large exterior plazas. The two new structures converge in a double-story glass space that serves as both vertical circulation and a learning environment with tiered seating.

The 7,000 sqft. Dining Expansion, coupled with the significant renovation of the existing kitchen, gym, and classroom spaces into the new Cafeteria dramatically improved the student dining experience for many years to come. Growing from a small, single service line and seating space, the newly finished Cafeteria is now a full-on food court servery that can accommodate several lunches of 1,000+ students a day, along with many other services, such as study halls and gatherings. As a part of this project, the existing prep kitchen was also extensively renovated to ensure the needs of the new student population could be met.