Spanning 143,000 square feet, the new building will cover about 20,000 square feet more area. Estimated to cost $25.5 million, the new design has retained some features of the former building, including a fixed-seat auditorium and a field house.

Designed by The Collaborative Inc., the main entrance of the school will face to the west and will be flanked by office space. A two-storey glass atrium will be featured along the length of the building, enabling the infiltration of natural light. Curves mirroring the blue roofline will be featured atop the adjoining Lake Middle School. The entrance of the building will lead to a concourse that would be named ‘the runway’.

A notable element of the building’s design will be safety from storm. The design has provisioned for storm-safe areas on the first floor where students and staff can take shelter in an emergency. These will be interior rooms without windows, including the weight/fitness room and four classrooms.

The new building will cluster classrooms in spaces called ‘academic houses’ at the east end of the building instead of long corridors of classrooms. Each classroom will have its own restrooms and locker areas. An 1,800-seat gymnasium and an auditorium accommodating just under 500 will also be featured between the classroom areas and main entrance.

A temporary cafeteria building will be converted into a training room for the wrestling program. The school will also feature a second-storey media center that will extend from the east side of the building. The library will be on the second floor and overhang out of the building’s back, providing a canopy for students waiting for buses. An additional athletic practice field will be built behind the high school.

The exterior of the building is inspired from the design of the middle school, which is located at the same campus at the corner of State Route 795 and Lemoyne Road. A memorial site containing seven trees to honour people killed in the June tornado will be erected on school grounds.

The new Lake High School is scheduled for completion in 2012.