Starting this spring the renovations for the Downingtown East high school will begin. KCBA architects have been designing a new wing for the school. They are currently in the process of finalizing the school’s design which should be complete by February 2023. The target completion date for renovations is in the fall of 2024.

KCBA Architects are an experienced architecture firm boasting an impressive portfolio of buildings. They have designed 68 education centers, 18 houses of worship, 8 office buildings, 12 apartment buildings, and 29 public works buildings. 

This new wing of the school is planned to be attached to the western half of the school. Connecting directly to the Art, FCS, and Math hallways, the additions will include four science labs, eight computer rooms, one FCS room, and a new commons area. Other parts of the school will receive structure changes including a new glass rooftop. Current cost estimates (as of September 14th) are at $31,748,000. 

The new commons area has been described as a sort of plaza/atrium area for students. The intent for these areas is to create a collaborative space for students. These areas are to be open at all times for students to work on projects together. There are proposals for these areas to also serve as “food distribution areas.”

“We are including in the design kind of has two atriums for each building in a closed in what is now a courtyard and a kind of plaza-We are making all kinds of accommodations for students to have food distributed to them in multiple locations throughout each building,” said KCBA architects at the September 14th board meeting.

The district is investing a considerable amount of money into this renovation to achieve a few major goals. The renovations are to create flexible learning spaces to support student collaboration, accommodate for future student body growth, create spaces for students to learn during lunch, create additional classrooms, create additional support for disabled students, more restrooms, and increased traffic circulation.