2022 Honor Award Winner!
Awarded by AIA Santa Barbara

The Thacher School’s Project-Based Learning Hub – The Gates – received the Honor Award of the American Institute of Architects Santa Barbara. Blackbird designed a visionary ‘academic beehive’ to sustainably redefine a campus core. Over thirty dramatic, wall-size doors connect indoor and outdoor spaces – allowing daily transformation of the learning experience. In harmony with century-old values and traditions, the robust yet modern barn-like buildings reinterpret the school’s historic ranch forms to house creative studios, classrooms, maker-spaces, and faculty offices. Certified LEED Gold, the daylight-filled transparent hub anchors the heart of this building – at the heart of the academic campus core. See more photos and videos of the Project-Based Learning Hub project here.

Special thanks and congratulations to all project collaborators.

Client | The Thacher School
Landscape Architect | VAI Van Atta Associates Inc.
Structural Engineer | T&S Structural
Electrical Engineer | Alan Noelle Engineering
Lighting Consultant | Ann Kale Associates Inc
Mechanical Engineer | Mechanical Engineering Consultants
Civil Engineer | Jenson Design & Survey, Inc.
Contractor | The Penta Building Group
Planning Consultant | Jenson Design & Survey, Inc.
Photography | Alex Nye