Architects present schematic designs for new Cliff school: 56,690 sq. ft. building for 195 students

Decker architects provided the board and public with a schematic design recap for the new Cliff school project. Presenters said the building is currently envisioned at about 56,690 square feet and designed to serve approximately 195 students, with a program organized into elementary and secondary wings around a central hub that contains gym and cafeteria spaces.

Architects outlined the four phases of the design process — programming, schematic design, design development and construction documents — and said the project had completed schematic design and was entering design development. Design priorities cited included resilient, low‑maintenance materials; maximizing natural light and community‑facing spaces; flexible classroom configurations for future adaptability; and preserving opportunities to display school legacy and history within the building.

Site planning shown in the presentation preserves the existing school during construction, places bus drops and athletic fields north of the building and locates the new construction to the east to allow staged demolition. The team also showed preliminary massing and material studies and said a project website (linked via a QR code presented at the meeting) is live for community viewing of the preliminary concepts.

No action was taken; design work will continue with the Cliff design committee and additional public updates will be posted to the project website as the team advances to construction documents.