Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation recognized by Fast Company Innovation Award

An exterior courtyard featuring some of the design features of the building.

August 25, 2023

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We're happy to share that Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation was named a finalist for the 2023 Innovation by Design Award in the Learning category.

The Learning category of Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards honors projects that use design to promote educational excellence.

What distinguishes KRAI from other high schools is the impact it will have on students and their future career prospects. The school features various spaces engineered to foster an inspiring, collaborative and safe learning environment. Academic cluster spaces—which house CTE courses that align with the specific needs of the local economy—are partitioned by glass walls throughout the ground floor.

Two students operate a plasma cutting machine while other students are chatting in the the background. This image is used to illustrate some of the different work spaces in the building.
A large indoor garage space with several stations with cars and other vehicles that are used for training the students. The wall features a large mural with text and silhouettes and of gears.
A view of the two story glass facade of the cafateria from the interior courtyard.

The school’s striking main entry is inspired by the great space of “The School of Athens” and vernacular architecture, defining a grand “front porch” perched above the natural wetland below. Featuring an expansive courtyard design, the building creates an inner ring of exterior circulation that creates a natural breezeway through the center—a signature feature also modeled after the vernacular houses of the 19th century. Quite literally, KRAI was designed to be a “cool” school.

See the full list of Fast Company honorees

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