Staples-Motley High School renovation and expansion

Through a transformative partnership with Lakewood Health Systems, the Staples Motley High School renovation and expansion addressed a century-old facility’s outdated infrastructure and a local shortage of recreation space. By adopting an Academic-Modern aesthetic that utilizes durable precast concrete to contrast with the historic brick masonry, the design successfully integrated a modern community wellness hub onto a constrained site while maintaining high-level school security through a strategic upper-level layout. The project’s centerpiece is an innovative walking track that threads through existing walls and over roof spaces to provide exercise areas and balcony viewing for the expanded 800-seat varsity gymnasium, which now supports three-mat wrestling competitions and features a 24-foot digital display. The space welcomes you with environmental graphics from the cardinal mascot to encouraging phrases painted on the walls. This game-changing development upgraded district-wide air quality systems and relocated the weight room from an inaccessible third floor to a high-performance environment, simultaneously improving student-athlete performance and community health.