Desert Sunrise High School

The city of Maricopa is growing in rapid ways; taking over rural farmlands as more development gets fast tracked to keep up with growth. For the past 66 years, Maricopa has only had one high school serving the population. As the city population grows by 2 – 4% each year, the impetus was formed for a new high school to serve and be ready for the next 50-80 years of education. Siting on an old pecan farm, Maricopa’s second high school will be a fully functioning school ready for 1,300 students in the first year. The crux for architects was fitting a gym, cafeteria, admin, and classrooms all in the first phase.

The first phase includes a two-story classroom building housing administration within a quarter of the first floor. In future phases, the administration and central library can be converted into classrooms due to future thinking design and systems. Future phases also include: the addition of a new administration building, three fields, and an added new competition gym. The ability to accommodate future academies is also built in by having each centralized Phase I library space that can be converted into different lab and maker spaces. In future phases, the cafeteria will be situated to make future expansion possible. A new performing arts and community center is master planned in and will be located at the front of the campus along the main road going to the high school.

Some of the magic of this project came from a superintendent who is very enriched in the community, that has been leading a team of contractors and architects since day one. The team’s goal is to build a lasting contribution to the community. This driving force was focused throughout the project and resulted in a new high school that will be able to handle what Maricopa and its surrounding community can foster. Through unique design, and future-proof capabilities, this high school will be ready for today’s demands and have a plan in place for the bright future of Maricopa.