Master-planned community advances first high school

BABCOCK RANCH — The first high school in Babcock Ranch, a solar-powered town north of Fort Myers, is moving forward, now with the completed design.

The state-of-the-art high school includes a 40,000 square foot multi-purpose field house, the latter of which will serve as both as an emergency shelter and recreation center, according to a statement. Studio+ and DAG Architects designed the project.

Both facilities are being designed and built concurrently, the release adds, and should be ready for the 2022-23 school year. Consisting of approximately 43,000 square feet, Babcock High School is designed to reflect project-based learning and STEAM education. BHS will include 26 classrooms, science labs with gas and electric connections, multiple assembly areas, wood-working areas, media rooms and administrative offices.

The new high school is south of the existing Babcock Neighborhood School, which serves K-8th grade students. To further enhance learning capabilities surrounding the STEAM curriculum, BHS is providing their high schoolers with a dedicated wood-working area called the Makers Lab, featuring laser cutting tools, power tools and advanced digital equipment and software.

Additionally, Babcock Ranch High will have The Hive, a centrally located open-office teacher’s area on the first and second floor, which overlooks the open assembly hall and hallway corridors. The Hive is fully surrounded by glass to offer transparency while providing teachers and faculty a space to hold meetings, build out curriculum and exchange information, the release states. The shelter and high school are part of a much larger development including the addition of multi-purpose fields, a baseball diamond and a softball field.

Encompassing 18,000 acres, with 19,500 planned residences and 6,000,000 square feet of commercial space, Babcock Ranch is billed as the first solar-powered town in the country.