A new high school in the Lower Yakima Valley has earned national recognition for its innovative design.

Architects West, which has offices in Coeur d’Alene and Spokane, designed Grandview High School, which was recognized for its incorporation of next-generation learning space design and planning.

The school’s design received the Outstanding Project Award in Learning By Design Magazine’s Fall 2021 Architectural and Interior Design Awards of Excellence.

Kennewick’s Amistad Elementary School, designed by ALSC Architects, based in Spokane, earned an honorable mention in the contest for its well-lit, vibrant design that provides a variety of spaces for learning styles and gatherings to occur.

The $60 million Grandview High School construction project replaced the existing circa 1970s building on the existing high school site at 1601 W. Fifth St. It opened in August 2021.

The 197,515-square-foot, two-story building was designed to accommodate 1,200 students.

It also was designed with durability, life cycle cost, maintenance considerations and sustainability being of utmost importance and consistent with the district’s commitments.

The 38-acre campus features ballfields and track facilities. A 447-seat auditorium serves the community.

Outdoor gathering space and daylighting were strong considerations for a central courtyard area.

Interior elements include extensive daylighting in community spaces, as well as in the gymnasiums. Learning environments are equipped with current technology and furnished with ample storage and finishes in the school’s color palette.

The Commons area features a resilient sheet flooring installation honoring “The Red Line of Equity” that recently won the People’s Choice Award in the Starnet Commercial Floor Design Awards 2021.

The design team was Kent Chadwell, project architect; Molly Teal, landscape architect; Jess Stauffenberg, MSI Engineers; and Jess Gray, Conley Engineering.

Winning projects were featured in the fall 2021 edition of Learning by Design and online at learningbydesignmagazine.com.