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Architecture
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| **** Honor Award **** |
Del Oro High School
(# 238) |
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| Completion |
7 / 2022 |
| Specific Use of Building |
Instructional building |
| Project Location |
Bakersfield, California |
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Nestled within Bakersfield's agricultural heart lies a 77-acre canvas, the site of an ambitious project. Our mission? To craft a Zero Net Energy innovative educational hub for 2,500 students, all within a budget of $600 per square foot. Our journey commenced with an immersive design process. Over intensive four-day workshops, we solicited feedback from Kern High School District's key stakeholders, community members, and students which allowed for prompt progress and cohesive decision-making. Engaging early with these various stakeholders allowed our team to glean insights, aspirations, and priorities, guiding our process toward an equitable solution that resonates with students, educators, and the broader community.
Inspired by the quilt-like patchwork of surrounding farms, our design vision framed a central quad with public-facing buildings to the south and classroom buildings to the north. These buildings not only define the secured campus perimeter, but also minimize fencing, reducing the institutional feel. The public-facing facilities, including the administration, campus center (housing the cafeteria and library), gymnasium, and Performing Arts Center (PAC), serve as community assets. The PAC's strategic public corner-facing location establishes an axial connection to the quad's center, a circular gathering area enveloped by trees and benches—a focal point where all paths converge. Along these pathways, we crafted shaded outdoor learning and dining destinations, as well as formal entry points for daily school activities and special events. The architectural aesthetics draw from the quilted landscape and mid-century modernism, employing light, texture, color, and scale to celebrate their presence within the school campus and the surrounding community. Textured and colored concrete block walls with carefully curated openings and storefronts create a layered massing approach, integrating shade canopies and bold colors at entry points to visually link each building.
Embodying the AIA Framework for Design Excellence, our campus champions self-directed learning, academic success, and community engagement. Shifted landscapes create outdoor learning spaces that encourage collaboration and exploration, and initiatives like the "Sun Pantry" demonstrate the district’s commitment to supporting economically disadvantaged families by providing food, clothing, and other services that allow all students to have an equitable educational experience. Powered entirely by the sun, this campus serves as a beacon of sustainability, achieving a 100 percent reduction from the baseline of 104.4 KBTU/SF/Year. Our embodied carbon is 494.76 kgCO2/M2, and our lighting power density is 0.69 W/SF. From harnessing daylight to selecting durable materials, every aspect of design prioritizes ecological responsibility.
This transformative endeavor, rooted in innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability, not only prepares students for the future but also enriches the entire community. Del Oro stands as a testament to the power of design excellence, compassion, and high-performance standards, embodying the future of education in a zero-carbon, healthy, just, resilient, and equitably built environment. |
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