Priority number one when designing the Intrinsic School’s novel structural layout was the health of its students. That meant throwing out the playbook for what a school was “supposed” to look like and creating a space as forward-thinking as the school’s curriculum. The team started by transforming a 41,000-square-foot, shuttered lumberyard into an innovative campus that adapted and reused 75% of the existing structures, an inventive feat of sustainability. Inside, creative layouts support a pod-based system that reinforces the benefits of blended learning.

The pods, separated by subject area, allow students to seamlessly shift between lecture-style lessons, technology-based programming, and individual study all while remaining a part of their class community. The result is a school built for its time and place that can continue to evolve with educational ideas on its students’ behalf.