Shawnee high school, Challenger Center
Location
Louisville, Kentucky
Type
K-12 Education
Client
Jefferson County Board of Education
Size
13,126 sf

A creative learning center that evokes the notion of space exploration.


The project consisted of a partial renovation to the first floor and basement totaling 13,126 square feet of an 80 year old school in West Louisville. The program relocated the aviation school into the basement and added the Challenger Learning Center on the first floor. The Challenger Learning Center consists of Mission Control, Space Station, and Briefing Room components with support spaces. The existing gym and adjacent locker room were renovated to contain the new components.

Shawnee high school, Challenger Center

The project objective was to create a separated, creative, and museum type space for the Challenger Learning Center which evokes the notion of space exploration. An angular expressive form encapsulates the Space Station, a corrugated metal sided element encapsulates Mission Control, and the Briefing Room doubles as a café and inhabits the previous locker room. Renovation of the exterior provides a small gathering space. Mission Control and Space Station elements become sculptural objects within the previous gym.