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Pembroke Hill School 

Pembroke Hill School 

  • 2008 Learning by Design Honorable Mention Award

  • 2007 School Planning & Management Honorable Mention Award

  • 2000 American School & University Architectural Portfolio

Pembroke Hill School
Kansas City, MO

Pembroke Hill is one of the leading independent schools in the Midwest.  Its two suburban campuses serve 1,200 students in grades pre-K through 12.  In 1996 we completed an initial master plan which would strengthen the sense of community on both campuses by carefully integrating the design of new buildings and reconfiguring the open spaces between them. 

Over the next 20 years, we completed multiple projects for the two campuses:

  • Wornall Campus (Lower School):  The 7-acre site was redesigned to rationalize open space, parking, and access, and to create a new main campus quadrangle facing a large public park.  A new 16,000 sf Early Childhood Center was constructed and the dining hall/commons was reconstructed and expanded.

  • Ward Parkway Campus (Middle and Upper Schools):   A group of buildings introduced in the 1960s related poorly to the scale and spatial arrangement of the original Georgian-style campus.   Several projects were completed to replace or reinvent those buildings, and refocus the 18-acre campus, including:

  • The new Centennial Hall Arts Center

  • The new Boocock Middle School

  • The new Upper School (Jordan Hall)

  • Conversion of the old library into an Upper School commons

  • Transformation/expansion of the science building into the new Kemper Library

Honors and Awards

  • ​​Campus Planning

  • Renovation

  • Adaptive Reuse

  • Transformation

  • New Construction

  • Multiple Projects

Project Information
 

CP-PHS

Campus Planning

Pembroke Hill is one of the leading independent schools in the Midwest.  It serves 1,200 students in grades pre-K through 12 on two suburban campuses.  We completed master plans to strengthen the sense of community on both campuses by carefully integrating the design of new buildings and reconfiguring the open spaces between them. 

  • Wornall Campus (Lower School):  The 7-acre site was redesigned to rationalize open space, parking, and access, and to create a new main campus quadrangle facing a large public park.  The construction of a new 16,000 sf Early Childhood Center reinforced the edge of the campus' central quad.

  • Ward Parkway Campus (Middle and Upper Schools):   A group of buildings introduced in the 1960s related poorly to the scale and spatial arrangement of the original 18-acre Georgian-style campus.  Inspired by Jefferson’s example at the University of Virginia, we focused attention on the dominant position at the uphill end of the original quadrangle by creating a classical focal point (the new library facade).  We reshaped the central landscape, emulating Jefferson’s grass terraces that step downward to the east toward an open view of playing fields and a city parkway beyond.  This plan guided the development of several new buildings and completely transformed the campus.

vp-phs

CENTENNIAL HALL at PEMBROKE HILL SCHOOL

Centennial Hall, a new 32,000 sf building, combines the visual arts and performing arts on the Ward Parkway campus of the Pembroke Hill School.  Three stories of art studios face north to the main quad, including 2-D and 3-D studios,  a digital art studio, a photography lab and dark room, and space for a visiting artist.  To the east are spaces for music, drama, and dance, and on the south is a multi-level experimental theatre with seating for 200.  These three groups of functions surround a two-story central lobby which serves as an art gallery and gathering space.

The building mimics the simplicity of the brick warehouses in the original industrial district of Kansas City.  The interior finishes are simple, durable, and loft-like:  polished concrete floors, concrete block walls, galvanized metal doors, and stainless steel railings.  The building fosters interaction and collaboration among the arts faculty and students.

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