Title: Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering
Location of Proejct: Huntsville, Alabama
Project Completion Date: 10/22
Firm Name: Perkins and Will

Short Description: The Alabama School of Cyber Technology & Engineering joins the Alabama School of Mathematics & Science (Mobile, AL) and the School of Fine Arts (Birmingham, AL) as the third specialized and tuition-free public high school serving the entire state. The school accommodates approximately 400 students of whom 150 will reside in the dormitory. Students will focus on advanced studies in cyber technology, science, math, and engineering.

Architect's Statement: Located in the Cummings Research Park (CRP), the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering is the first step in transforming a current suburban context, into an urban framework envisioned by the CRP Master Plan recently developed by the firm. By creating and building a magnet school in Alabama, the team was challenged to create a highly collaborative and engaging space that went beyond a summer camp with a STEM focus. Neighbored by institutions like the Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, the University of Alabama Huntsville, and corporations within the defense and engineering field, the school had to not only blend amongst its peers but also stand out as a premier institution for students looking to build a profession in the cyber technology and engineering field.

In addition to conventional classrooms, the program includes science labs, machine shops, a fabrication and engineering lab, a cyber range, and a combination cafeteria/tornado shelter located at the base of the dormitory building. The dormitory includes dorm rooms for students as well as apartment residences for some faculty. The design team was charged with reinforcing the master plan by establishing a new more urban typology for buildings in the CRP and creating a safe and inspiring environment for a diverse student body, including many who will be away from home for the first time in their lives.

The school is purposefully sited such that it occupies the northwest corner of its site at the intersection of Wynn Drive and Bradford Drive within Hunstville’s Cummings Research Park. This location allowed the design team to minimize the amount of the site that had to be cleared for construction while the L-shaped configuration created a protected green space at the interior while minimizing the need for fences and other more conventional safety barriers.

The stepped landscape negotiates the existing grade of the site and minimized cut and fill. Abundant fenestration provides access to natural light and views from all areas of both the classroom building and the dormitory. Interior and exterior glazing have been used to maximize student access to usable daylight illuminance above the threshold where it has been shown to positively impact student performance.

The exterior of the building, including the site, use repetition and aggregation of simple geometrical forms to create more complex compositions and sense of rhythm that reflects both the fundamentals of cybertechnology, as well as the civic presence required of a school that serves the entire state.

Design for Equitable Communities

Although the school admission process is selective, the residential component allows it to accommodate at least one student from every school district in the state of Alabama. This has resulted in a more diverse student population than is typical for STEM-focused high school programs. In its second year of operation, the student population is 35% female and 34% African American. With the ability to accommodate faculty and students living on-site, the school provides wrap-around support for students beginning in 9th grade. This makes it more likely that a diverse group of students will complete the rigorous academic program and help develop a more diverse engineering workforce.

Design for Well-Being

The classroom building has been designed to maximize access to natural daylight at or above thresholds that have been shown to increase student success. All dorm rooms have access to four large windows as well as multiple common spaces with abundant natural daylight and views of the surrounding natural environment. Stairs and walkways in the project have been configured to encourage physical movement while still maintaining accessibility.

Design for Change

The academic spaces in the project have been designed to be flexible and changeable as the needs and priorities of engineering and cyber technology education evolve. The bottom level of the dormitory building is both a cafeteria and fitness facility as well as the code-required tornado shelter. Siting the building closer to the street than is typical in this area anticipates and encourages increased urbanization and density.