The goal of the architectural design for Malibu High School is to create a lasting new facility that would be both a sustainable laboratory and a teaching tool for students and the neighborhood while responding to the unique site conditions, programmatic needs, and regulatory requirements of the project. Many design features integrate sustainable strategies emphasizing energy efficiency and optimal learning environments. Features such as operable windows, an emphasis on daylighting in classrooms, library and office spaces, heated floors, and solar tubes, along with protective overhangs and extensive vertical shading fins, all promote optimized learning environments while reducing reliance on mechanical and electrical systems. The revitalized student courtyard improves the campus's stormwater management while creating various scaled use opportunities for students and supports outdoor teaching environments that are highly suitable to the climate of Malibu.

Along the southwestern edge of campus, this two-level structure replaces the outdated and poorly functioning administration building, creating a much-needed new face of campus and gateway to both middle and high school neighborhoods. To accommodate space requirements and building height restrictions, the new building transformed into an extension of the terrain with its stepping two-story program and flowing PV-covered roof sloping with the street and existing topography.

Its outdoor demonstration garden further integrates architecture with education and the environment. As a type of inhabited landscape, the new building echoes and mirrors the contours of the native hillside. Planted green roofs provide outdoor learning spaces while improving building performance and managing storm runoff. Strategically placed skylights and floor-to-ceiling glazing provide an abundance of natural daylight and minimize energy consumption. This strategy closely integrates the building with the landscape and lessens the visual impact of its massing in this quiet residential neighborhood.

The administration wing, located adjacent to the reconfigured staff/visitor parking lot, anchors the new main campus entry and allows administrative functions on two levels, serving both the incoming public at its lower entry and students at the main level of the campus. The library's placement at the northwest corner frames a secondary campus entry with the existing theater building, bolstering the shared public use of these two programs. New classrooms and labs are located on the courtyard and upper level, along with the roof garden.
Malibu High School's transformation is a collaborative process. The architect, district, students, parents, and local government are all committed to creating a state-of-the-art, environmentally sensitive teaching facility.