Knoxville Architecture Senior High School

Knoxville Architecture Senior High School (KASH) is an architectural proposal for a design-focused learning institution to be located in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. Situated next to I-40 on Knoxville’s famed Gay Street, KASH occupies the experiential boundary between the city’s dense central business district and the slower-paced historic district of Emory Place.In order to address the contrasting needs for community engagement and institutional privacy, the community-oriented functions are located on the ground floor while the academic programs are elevated above the ground plane within the snaking body of the school. By situating community programs like the woodshop, gallery, and auditorium at street level, KASH engages the passerby and continues the storefront procession of Gay Street beyond the interstate, creating an architectonic tether between two formerly disparate zones of the city. Preceding the design of KASH, a research-driven analysis of existing conditions and issues surrounding Emory Place was conducted, culminating in the development of a master plan for the historic district. Essentially, KASH is the result of the need for an urban academic institution that addresses how such a program can sustain community and place.