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By Fay Harvey����

BOULDER, Colo. — New Vista High School, a small alternative school located in Colorado’s Boulder Valley School District (BVSD), has reopened following the completion of a nearly $52 million construction project. The new campus—featuring naturally lit, sustainable spaces designed for flexible learning and teaching—welcomed 315 students for the spring semester on Jan. 7.����

New Vista has been relocated several times since it opened in 1993 and had operated for several years out of the former Baseline Middle School building, which was constructed in 1952. However, a facilities assessment found that many BVSD campuses, including New Vista, were reaching the end of their lifespans, as maintenance costs were estimated to total more than the cost of a full replacement of the building.��

Denver-based MOA Architects worked with a Design Advisory Team comprised of students, parents, teachers and school district officials in developing the project. The project team also included the local office of national construction company Adolfson & Peterson, which developed the new campus across three phases with help of Gene Temanson, BVSD project manager. Work on the project began in November 2022 after voters approved a $350 million bond initiative which included plans for New Vista, and construction began in July 2023.����

In building the new facility, retaining the school’s spirit and focus on community and collaboration were paramount.��

“Even in the midst of change, we won’t stray from our purpose,” said John McCluskey, principal at New Vista, in a BVSD statement. “For the past 30 years, New Vista has stood for innovative, student-centered education, and this new space allows us to build on that legacy for the next 30.”��

The new iteration of New Vista offers a dynamic layout to support the school’s cohort program, in which students and teachers work in groups and also individually. To accommodate this approach to academics and instruction, spaces were designed with traditional group teaching and concentrated, smaller group learning in mind. The building also includes a wellness center, music recording studio and spaces for indoor-outdoor instruction. A two-story atrium featuring interior wooden learning steps forms the center of the campus, offering an inviting space for lectures, gatherings and assemblies.��

“While the building is new, the foundation—our shared purpose of fostering growth, confidence and capability—remains unwavering,” said Kiffany Lychock, New Vista High School assistant principal, in a statement.��

The new and improved New Vista is significantly more energy and water efficient than its predecessor. The building features more efficient temperature control, LED lighting, a wealth of natural light, low-VOC materials and improved indoor air quality via a modern HVAC and ventilation system. Through reducing energy use and focusing on renewables, the building—which is anticipated to serve students and the community for 70 years—is expected to consume less than 40% of the energy required in the previous school building, significantly reducing maintenance costs and outperforming Boulder’s building code requirements.��

While BVSD will not pursue LEED certification for New Vista, the campus was developed in accordance with the district’s as well as its Sustainability Action Plan. The goals of the plan include measuring and benchmarking efforts to protect student and staff health through energy, water, and natural resource conservation as well as reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation.��