Harpeth Hall Bright IDEA Lab

Harpeth Hall School, a private, all-female, college-preparatory school, looked to re-imagine their underutilized 6,600 SF gymnasium space. Centered between the school’s humanities and STEM buildings, the new 13,000 SF Bullard Bright IDEA (Innovation Design and Education in Action) Lab was designed to promote collaborative entrepreneurship and design amongst students. Transparency, accomplished through windows and glass walls, is a feature of the Lab used to demonstrate that the creative process is often a messy one.

Acoustic considerations were taken throughout the design and the spaces include markable walls, moveable furnishings, and folding walls for function and flexibility. The Lab includes a makerspace, robotics classroom with retractable field, teaching kitchen, green-screen podcast studio, study and loft space, a lecture hall for 125 students, and more. The access to new and innovative resources allows faculty and students to take part in hands-on creation and affirms the school’s commitment to leading edge teaching and learning.