The community wanted a school that expressed the small-town residential character of their city and created a safe, nurturing environment for kids transitioning from children to teenagers.  The design team synthesized the feedback into a new campus that is distinctly non-institutional in appearance and layout.  The facility is placed on the site with three connected clusters of buildings organized around a central quad, creating a learning village.  The school has focuses on the arts and sciences, with two visual arts labs, three science labs, a media room, a choral music room, an instrumental music room, and a large multipurpose room with spectacular views of the San Gabriel Mountains.

The new middle school replaces an existing outmoded elementary school constructed in the 1940’s. A significant challenge faced by the design team was the need to keep a temporary middle school in continuous operation on site during construction without impacting the adjacent joint-use athletic fields.  Careful consideration was given to the demolition sequencing of the existing facility, the placement of the temporary classroom units, and access to the site during pick-up and drop-off times as construction was underway.

Focusing on the residential character of the neighborhood, the design team paid special attention to the way the building program was stacked, how it was placed on the sloped site, how it would impact adjacent property owners, how it would be viewed from a distance, and how the joint-use aspects of the shared athletic fields impacted school security.  The resulting massing placed the tallest programmatic elements at the low part of the site, buffering the surrounding houses from student-generated noise via parking and building massing.  Sloped roofs respond comfortably to the residential housing around the school, while a palette of locally-derived colors and materials blend into the craftsman and ranch-style architectural language found in the neighborhood. The student drop-off area is on-site, removing the traffic congestion from the residential street. The gymnasium has a dedicated community entrance that does not require access to other educational portions of the facility.

Biophilic principles informed the design of interior spaces. Natural daylighting is a key design element. The buildings are configured to capture north light from clerestory and view windows.  Every classroom has significant glazing and views into the surrounding tree canopy. Diffused light is created via translucent panels in several areas of campus, including the office/counseling area, art room, and gymnasium.

Deep overhangs provide shade to the school population and natural cooling to the exterior walls, combined with roof forms that provide additional shade to the walls. 

Unique sound enhancements include an angled wall for the choir and instrumental music rooms to allow for greater resonance, and the gymnasium’s four-tiered ceiling creates a sound barrier that reduces echo.