Indian Hill EVS District

Project Narrative

Indian Hill Exempted School District worked with our team to develop a strategic Master Plan for the district, which included a renovation of the primary school, addition to the elementary school, and a new building for the middle School. Across all three locations, we developed a total overhaul of the experiential branding, graphics and signage, along with future planning for the high school. Collaboration is a key principle for the client, so we engaged stakeholder groups throughout the design process, including students, faculty and community members on goals, messaging and creative vision. The community of Indian Hill sits on the outskirts of Cincinnati, Ohio. Despite being less than 20 miles from downtown and surrounded by suburban development, the village is surprisingly rural, filled with rolling hills, elegant estates, horse paths, and wooded parks. Reflecting the natural environment surrounding the district and representing the Indian Hill brand became the key tenants of the design system. The natural component is reflected in graphics inspired by earth, sky and water while the Indian Hill brand system cemented visitors’ sense-of-place. The design strategy assigned earth-inspired graphics to gathering places, water to student artwork displays, and sky around STEM learning spaces. Utilizing this thinking in each school, the challenge became working within those parameters while creating age-specific designs for the different schools. At the primary school, a fun illustrative approach was utilized, along with multiple interactive displays allowing the students to engage and play in the environment. The elementary school tone is energized but intricate, showcasing local flora and fauna and Indian Hill values. The middle school took on a more mature tone, with more priority put on interpretation of Indian Hill brand elements and STEM-forward prioritizes, as seen in the repeated hexagon motif. These graphic design systems created environments that align with the district goal of creating spaces that are playful, informative, and exciting. Students and faculty are enjoying the improvements to their learning spaces and have begun to utilize the features the team created into their curriculum.

                                           

Project Details -

Submission Category

Experiential Graphics- Large scale (environments or systems)

Date of Completion

January, 2024

Submitting Firm Name

MSA Design

Project Team

Architect

Chris Patek

Interior Designer

Jill Healey

Structural Engineer

Structural Engineer

MEP Engineer

MEP Engineer

Civil Engineer

Civil Engineer

Contractor

Contractor