Walnut Hills HS Phased Master Plan

Client: Cincinnati Public Schools

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

A comprehensive campus master plan that addresses the future needs of Walnut Hills High School through a large-scale phased renovation and addition program.
To maintain campus functionality at all times, SHP meticulously planned the four-year construction project, which included two demolitions and nine overlapping construction phases.
The program includes a 262,000sf renovation of the 1931 portion of the building that preserves its historical features while introducing technological advancements; a 77,000sf addition that houses a new music wing, 15 classrooms, a 1,200-seat gymnasium and a six-lane swimming pool; and exterior site improvements such as courtyards, a plaza and a outdoor dining area.
A notable solution was the creation of flexible swing spaces—SHP customized off-the-shelf modular classrooms and periodically modified each space to fit the needs of the school as they evolved.

Interesting Fact: This highly complex project took a challenging turn when a 750,000-gallon competition pool was introduced to the project after design development was already complete. SHP had the foresight to perform advanced planning and contingency designs. When funding eventually became available, the new pool was incorporated into the project without impeding the project timeline.

Master Planning

For over two and a half decades, SHP has partnered with Walnut Hills High School—a prestigious college preparatory institution within the Cincinnati Public School System. With a storied legacy of educational distinction, both locally and nationally recognized, the school’s tight urban campus posed a unique challenge, requiring creative design, technical expertise, and collaborative engagement to propel its legacy of excellence into the future.

SHP’s journey with Walnut Hills is a testament to our unwavering dedication to client service, our ability to listen and respond to stakeholder values, and our understanding of the upfront planning required to deliver exceptional results.

Recommended for You

Harrison Hills Wins Silver Citation in the 2020 AS&U Educational Interiors Showcase

SHP is pleased to announce that the new PK-12 school in the Harrison Hills City School District was awarded a Silver Citation in the 2020 American School & University Educational Interiors Showcase. Congratulations to the Harrison Hills Huskies and our interior design team on this honor!

A Brief History of Early Childhood Education An ideal space for Early Childhood Education is fundamentally different from spaces designed […]

With the rapid switch to distance learning during the coronavirus crisis, some schools have struggled to serve students who are at the margins. It’s one of the reasons Educational Visioning is so important: inclusive design principles offer a valuable way to reimagine educational spaces, not just during COVID-19, but well into the future.