This thesis proposes to redefine an existing building type: a public arts high school in an urban city context, as a building that becomes more than an important place for its students, and the community, but as a home for the arts, academics, and learning through social interactivity.

The case study for these explorations will redefine Duke Ellington School of the Arts as a prototype for this architectural theory. It is sited in the historic Georgetown neighborhood in the northwest quadrant of Washington D.C. The thesis of this project attempts to create a contemporary building in a historic presence that reflects the school's identity and increases its visibility and presence within its Georgetown community, and rethinks how art schools adapt to change, by exploring themes of flexibility, growth and adaptability in various learning environments to changing pedagogy and technology.