When the West Des Moines Community School District noticed a decline in enrollment in their Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, they sought to revitalize the program by creating a state-of-the-art addition at the Valley Southwoods Freshman Building—one of six facility upgrades to the school district’s overarching improvement plan. The expansion provides hands-on learning environments for emerging technology, robotics, woodworking and culinary arts. A separate addition near the entrance of the building and adjacent to existing food service includes a culinary arts lab that features a teaching kitchen and six practice kitchens. Additionally, the expansion was designed for students and the broader community, with spaces available for after-hours programs, career training, and public culinary classes.

The addition also enhances the school’s exterior aesthetics, modernizing the facility with an updated architectural design. The building shell consists of architectural insulated wall panels with formliner accentuation that features two distinct colors—a dark gray mix paired with bright-colored Nawkaw staining.