Old Mill High School

Millersville, MD

Details: General, science, technical education, and special education classrooms; Media center, cafeteria, gymnasium, auditorium; Maker space, fabrication lab, music classrooms, dance studio, art studios; Designed to be Net Zero Ready & achieve LEED Silver Certification

Owner: Anne Arundel County Public Schools

Services: Community Involvement, Sustainable Design, Interior Design, Full Design Services, Construction Administration, Building Information Modeling

The design for the replacement high school honors the innovation that occurs through the collaboration of people, technology, and the earth.

A pixelated metal panel exterior grounded by a solid brick foundation recalls how moments of individual ideation grow into full discovery as people and ideas merge. Spaces that foster intense collaboration, including the media center, labs, and breakout spaces, are signified by a solid color band symbolizing the merging of ideas into one. Inside, blue patterning highlights areas of innovation and is complemented by warm wood tones.

Core instructional areas are thoughtfully arranged within a three-story academic bar, designed to optimize daylight and natural ventilation. Flexible classrooms and smaller breakout spaces—suited for both group work and independent study—are centrally located to encourage frequent cross-discipline use by students and faculty. Two glass curtainwall corridors connect the academic bar to the main building—which includes the media center, gymnasium, cafeteria, and administrative offices—and frame an outdoor courtyard that offers a versatile space for learning, gathering, and quiet reflection. Seating and markerboards along the corridors and near classrooms are intended to spark informal interactions between students and faculty.

The school is designed to be the county’s first Net Zero Ready high school and achieve LEED Silver certification. Energy modeling performed during design indicates that the building’s highly insulated envelope, efficient window to wall ratio, and energy-efficient systems, including a geothermal heat pump, will result in a predicted energy use intensity (EUI) of 27 kBtu/sf/yr, a 44% energy savings over a baseline high school EUI. The energy consumed will be offset by an on-site photovoltaic (PV) system (to be installed as a separate phase). Solar studies informed the building’s roof design to maximize the PV installation area, thus minimizing this school’s environmental impact and delivering savings to the school system.