flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

LA high school takes design cue from historic Mexican architecture

LA high school takes design cue from historic Mexican architecture


August 11, 2010
This article first appeared in the 200910 issue of BD+C.

The Los Angeles Unified School District recently opened the $75 million Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez Learning Center, a high school in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights, near Little Tokyo. Designed by Nadel Architects in a joint venture with Barrio Planners Inc., the 114,000-sf school is vertically integrated, allowing the campus to fit on a compact, six-acre site. The architects incorporated traditional Mexican design features, including vibrant colors, bold geometric shapes, deeply recessed windows, and colonnades. The learning center consists of two, 500-student learning communities with courtyards that open into a central plaza. It is the first high school to open in East Los Angeles in more than 85 years.

Related Stories

K-12 Schools | Dec 14, 2016

Expanding possibilities for America's K-12 schools

Bigger buildings, more outdoor space, and greater involvement from the private sector are among the trends marking the new generation of schools. 

K-12 Schools | Dec 12, 2016

Building a nation of super schools

AEC teams are being asked to design and build schools with enough flexibility to adapt to changing pedagogies.

School Construction | Oct 23, 2016

As construction rebounds, education sector spending flattens

Post-recession slump suggests a settling in at a “normal” level similar to the mid aughts.

Great Solutions | Aug 23, 2016

Novel construction approach speeds K-12 school projects

The Folia system uses pre-engineered components to deliver school buildings at 20% less cost. 

Great Solutions | Aug 23, 2016

11 great solutions for the commercial construction market

A roll-up emergency department, next-gen telemedicine center, and biophilic cooling pods are among the AEC industry’s clever ideas and novel innovations for 2016.

K-12 Schools | Aug 4, 2016

First Look: New Sandy Hook Elementary School blends safety and nature

The new Sandy Hook Elementary School has been carefully designed with state-of-the-art safety measures to keep students safe.

| Aug 1, 2016

K-12 SCHOOL GIANTS: In a new era of K-12 education, flexibility is crucial to design

Space flexibility is critical to classroom design. Spaces have to be adaptable, even allowing for drastic changes such as a doubling of classroom size.

| Aug 1, 2016

Top 80 K-12 School Construction Firms

Gilbane, Balfour Beatty, and Core Construction head Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest K-12 school sector construction and construction management firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.

| Aug 1, 2016

Top 60 K-12 School Engineering Firms

AECOM, Jacobs, and STV top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest K-12 school sector engineering and E/A firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.

| Aug 1, 2016

Top 100 K-12 School Architecture Firms

DLR Group, Stantec, and Huckabee top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest K-12 school sector architecture and A/E firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




K-12 Schools

Inclusive design strategies to transform learning spaces

Students with disabilities and those experiencing mental health and behavioral conditions represent a group of the most vulnerable students at risk for failing to connect educationally and socially. Educators and school districts are struggling to accommodate all of these nuanced and, at times, overlapping conditions.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021