Herbert Newman and Partners won first place in the Education category in the First Annual International Interior Design Association New England Chapter's 2007 Interior Design Awards for the new high school in Darien, Conn. Accepting the award were partner Peter Newman and senior associate Michelle Ariola the project interior designer.
The design of the new 335,000 s/f school deviates from the usual model for eastern U.S. high schools by creating a unique "village of forms" linked by a continuous corridor, giving the impression of a campus of separate buildings similar to the campus plans for colleges.
Using the durability and familiarity of natural materials and the warmth of a palette of natural colors, the interior design is a visual and material extension of the building's exterior rural Southern Conn. site.