Hollis + Miller Architects designed the Colorado Skies Academy to introduce young students to aviation early on in Centennial, Colorado.

Colorado Skies Academy is a new Charter School for grades 6–8, located at the Centennial Airport in Centennial, CO. The two-story, 23,000-square-foot facility is also affiliated with the adjacent Wings Over the Rockies Aviation Museum housing over 50 vintage military aircraft.

The project-based learning/STEM curriculum is flight-based, teaching students many different facets of aviation, and is supplemented by a focus on social-emotional development. The learning environment itself supports each of these endeavors. The Exploratorium allows students to collaborate in groups or complete individual work in a setting inspiring out-of-the-box thinking, while active corridors offer a choice in learning spaces. The unique shape of the Exploratorium resembles a rocket booster, and vibrant graphics project the aviation and aerospace theme throughout. The Spread Your Wings program flies in teachers from Colorado’s front range for exposure to the program as professional development and in turn, introduces students to experts in the industry.

Architect: Hollis + Miller Architects
Photography: Vic Moss