$6M Hillsboro (Ohio) High School Auditorium to Open Fall 2020

Hillsboro City Schools has contracted with Woolpert to provide full design services for its $6-million high school auditorium. The new auditorium will be 23,000 square feet, seat 800, and include flexible space for changing rooms and/or locker rooms.

Hillsboro High School, located about 60 miles east of Cincinnati, has an enrollment of approximately 750 students. Woolpert Project Manager Todd Ford, a 2002 Hillsboro graduate, said the design of the auditorium will mesh with the existing school and include technology and amenities specific to the school’s needs.

“There will be a 40-inch-high stage, which creates optimal viewing from all seats, LED lighting and acoustical design to ensure those on stage are properly seen and heard by the crowd,” Ford said. “Hillsboro will be one of the few schools in the area that can hold its entire school population in its auditorium, and we want to ensure they are served appropriately and effectively.”

The main entrance for the auditorium will be through the high school building, which Ford said will support safety and security for students and staff. The parking lot will be reconfigured to allow for this school expansion but retain the same amount of parking spaces.

Woolpert has performed a facility master plan, and Ford has performed multiple design projects at the high school. Ford said Woolpert’s acquisition of Waller, Todd & Sadler Architects in January has deepened and broadened Woolpert’s educational design capabilities.

“Waller, Todd & Sadler’s experience with K-12 and higher education facilities is nationally known and highly respected,” Ford said. “They know the ins and outs of high school auditoriums from ideal row breaks to ADA requirements to subsurface drainage to the pros and cons of orchestra pits. Their expertise is invaluable and will be well utilized for this and future projects.”

The Hillsboro High School auditorium project is in the design phase and is expected to go out to bid in August. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall, and the auditorium is projected to make its debut in the fall of 2020.

For more information, visit woolpert.com.

Featured

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.

  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Launches New Emergency Communications System

    The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) recently deployed a new emergency notification and incident management system for its campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with 911Cellular to launch Safe@UTC, a smartphone app allowing university officials to communicate and respond during emergency situations.

  • Kimball International Releases Curated Design Support Program

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced the launch of a new end-to-end design support program, DesignSuite. According to a news release, its goal is to guide architecture & design professionals and dealer partners through the process from vision to specification.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Education Design Showcase Awards

    Spaces4Learning has opened submissions for the 2026 Education Design Showcase! The awards program launched in 1999 with the goal of celebrating innovative, practical solutions in the planning, design, and construction of K–12 and higher-education facilities. EDS recognizes new developments that help achieve optimal learning environments, as well as the architecture firms that brought the ideas to life.