The Overlake School is an independent grades 5-12 college preparatory school on a rural 88-acre campus. Johnson+Southerland, as architect/prime and landscape architect, carried out master planning, design and construction to renovate Overlake’s core. The $15.5 million project, phased over 4 years, encompassed 3 new classroom buildings, 3 major building remodels, associated landscapes and outdoor social spaces and a trail system. Design considerations included expressing Overlake’s persona (informality and excellence), providing a landscape rich in opportunities for socializing and learning, and knitting the new elements into the historic campus and the wetland/woodland context. Site sustainability features include open space preservation, vegetated green roofs, storm water catchment systems, raingardens, and native plantings to complement the significant native forest on site.

Client: Overlake School
Location: Redmond, WA