South of downtown Los Angeles, the project site is approximately 14 acres located in a residential neighborhood composed primarily of single family homes.
Responding to the belief that architecture and design are significant forces in the creation of the school environment and in the effectiveness of the education, several observations about the immediate site context and specifically the desire to mitigate surrounding acoustical issues have informed the overall campus master planning in an attempt to provide an environment that exemplifies LAUSD's teaching objectives and push for academic excellence.
The school is divided into two separate zones OR "campuses"; the academic and the athletic, which are connected and joined together by interstitial outdoor gathering spaces and program, such as the gym and multipurpose room, which serve both zones.
At the center of the academic campus is an internal pedestrian "street" that runs north-south (parallel to the physical street) lined with covered walkways and landscaping. All of the educational buildings can be accessed from this internal street and the open plaza defined by the surrounding buildings serves as a large outdoor room where students, parents and faculty may gather.
Careful attention has been given to the placement of faculty and administrative offices in order to allow for maximum supervision in an unobtrusive way. The entire school layout allows for clear views and easy supervisions throughout.
The athletic campus is composed of sport fields, all of which are arranged into a compact trapezoid which is tied back to the academic campus by means of walkways and paths connected to the interstitial spaces running in between and through the educational program.
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I am proud to call this campus a part of LAUSD.”
Eddie Nishi, Design Manager LAUSD
