In 2017, faced with renovating suboptimal facilities that were at the end of their useful lives, Lancaster County Public Schools (LCPS) set in motion a bold plan to bring all district school facilities onto one central campus for its 1,200 students. The selection of a 165-acre waterfront site not only afforded greater efficiencies but also provided an opportunity to reconnect to the Chesapeake Bay watershed – culturally, ecologically and economically. The design of the new campus encourages educators to explore how and what they teach, using sustainability as a framework that promotes design thinking and project-based learning.

LCPS hired VMDO to engage in a public process to analyze the existing Elementary, Middle, and High Schools, study test-fits to relocate and rebuild two or more school facilities to proposed sites, and to suggest alternative 21st-century educational models. The intent of the design strives to: celebrate the county’s rural maritime natural environment with distinct place-making opportunities; establish the school campus as a vital community resource; and enhance economic initiatives that would distinguish Lancaster County’s school system and help spark economic development.

VMDO considered sustainable and energy/resource saving technologies and approaches to the design that will enable the campus to function like a native, living ecosystem. Engaging meetings with teachers, students, and neighbors generated feedback on the design, including discussions about the role of the new schools in uplifting civic pride, supporting lifelong learning, and serving as 24/7 hubs for community use.