Waukee Innovation and Learning Center

Waukee, Iowa

Set apart from conventional school typologies, the Waukee Innovation and Learning Center organizes a spectrum of learning environments into a compact, legible plan that invites choice and movement. Large, daylit studios and maker labs sit beside smaller focus rooms and mezzanine alcoves, connected by a central co-working space that serve as social engine, gallery, and overflow classroom. Design moves include stacked program blocks, operable garage doors, sliding partitions, and generous ceiling heights; making spatial transitions legible and reversible, giving students agency to select settings that fit the task at hand rather than the bell schedule.

From the technical systems to the finish palette, the project was detailed for change. MEP zoning, embedded power drops, clear service access, and non-load-bearing interior partitions allow new labs, fabrication tools, and partnerships to be added with minimal disruption. Since opening the building has repeatedly absorbed shifting district programming including pilot initiatives, community events, and reconfigured curriculum without losing spatial clarity or performance. The result is a school that reads like a small campus of choice: durable in its construction, deliberate in its systems, and designed to grow with the district's ambitions while foregrounding student agency and real-world learning.

Project completed while at INVISION (w/CannonDesign) — Role: Project Architect

Photos by Cameron Campbell; Integrated Studio