This public charter is located within the jurisdiction of LAUSD, and will serve 432 K-5 elementary school children on an urban infill lot. A single two-story classroom building, the public face follows the apex of the curvilinear boulevard and screens the "backyard" playground and lunch shelter. Consequently, the more private type space in the rear is defined by inflecting walls, implying enclosure. The plan geometry permits the double leaded corridor to bend twice... which visually hastens the length of the corridor. A non-descript entrance is overshadowed, but supported by a billboard like "I am here" supergraphic hovering above an obligatory access ramp and security gate. Overhead sectional doors are employed to bring the outside into the ground floor classrooms. Moveable partitions between two classrooms allow expanding into multi-purpose uses. Classroom fenestration varies avoiding monotony inside and outside. The school's mission emphasizes a dual language program as many of the students learn English as a second language.
Status: Built
Location: Los Angeles, CA, US
My Role: Senior Project Architect / Lead Designer
Additional Credits: Developer / Red Hook Capital Partners - Ron Johnson Construction Manager
General Contractor / Del Amo Construction
BGB Inc. Landscape Architects / Arthur Guy III
Green Building Consulting / GLUMAC