Chris Hays, Partner-in-Charge, led the design team for the William McDonough + Partners competition entry for this progressive college preparatory school in San Francisco. An amphitheater forms the heart of the community. Buffered by buildings that shield the inner campus from the noise of the adjacent freeway, the courtyard brings daylight and airflow to classrooms while promoting community and the exchange of ideas.

Photovoltaic panels atop the main building provide energy for the building. Green roofs over buildings and a courtyard beneath, where additional program is housed, provide habitat for birds and insects, retains stormwater on-site, releasing it slowly into the atmosphere.