Gulf Shores HIgh School, Gulf Shores, Alabama
Download printable project sheet, 172KB.

When the Baldwin County Board of Education decided to construct a new high school in Gulf Shores, they selected Sherlock, Smith & Adams to provide complete architecture and engineering services for design and construction. The end product of that process was this new single-story, 95,232-square-foot facility. SS&A's designers chose to use simple building materials such as split-face concrete masonry units and steel-framed canopies in creative ways to shape a structure that celebrates the lifestyle of the Gulf region.

The abundant use of daylighting—through windows and through whimsical circular skylights—acts as a signaling device, providing refreshing reminders of the area's natural beauty and sunlit quality. These circular views toward the sky help to enliven the building's main circulation and gathering spaces. Further enhancing the facility's focus toward the out-of-doors is the spacious courtyard around which the building's multiple functions are organized and which offers a setting for contained outdoor events during the school day. The use of sea tones throughout the interiors of the school not only contributes to school pride (the school colors are teal and white), but also playfully reminds students and faculty of the nautical activities that await them after the three-o'clock bell.

Sherlock, Smith & Adams answered the call of this resort town with a facility that both fulfills its functional needs and embraces the mindset of its youth.