Thinking outside the box, LPA Inc. is designing a school inside a box. With an emphasis on three E’s—Engage, Educate, and Empower—e3 Civic High is now being constructed on the sixth and seventh floors of a public library in downtown San Diego. Library patrons will be able to see into the school via glass elevators, but will not have physical access to the school.
Learning studios at e3 have been organized in “villages” that are clustered around a shared commons and teaming rooms. To foster impromptu “collisions” of students, faculty, and staff, the design employs a number of strategic spaces:
• Entry – Deliberately leaving out an enclosed lobby and central administration area, visitors enter directly into the school.
• The Park – Supported by controllable lighting, soft furniture, and technology integration, this “living room” setting can also double as a studio space.
• The Plaza – An active gathering space for presentation, performance, and dining.
• Steps – The central staircase connecting the two floors doubles as a social learning space, a circulation route, studio, physical education area, and a place for industry speakers to engage with students.
• Interactive Wall – Linking the villages, the Interactive/Living Wall is a space that students can write on, post displays, or even sit on.
• Gallery – Lined with whiteboard surfaces and specialty lighting, the centrally located gallery provides a blank canvas for students to curate.
The project is tracking LEED Gold certification.
For more on the project, visit: http://blog.lpainc.com/lpa-blog/bid/95713/Urban-Education-The-story-behind-e3-Civic-High-Part-2.
Related Stories
| Aug 15, 2016
Top 50 Sports Facility Architecture Firms
Populous, HKS, and HOK top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest sports facility sector architecture and A/E firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 15, 2016
MILITARY GIANTS: Cross-laminated timber construction gets a salute from the Army
By privatizing the construction, renovation, operation, maintenance, and ownership of its hotels the Army expects to cut a 20-year timetable for repairs and replacement of its lodging down to eight years.
| Aug 15, 2016
Top 30 Military Architecture Firms
HDR, Clark Nexsen, and Guernsey top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest military sector architecture and A/E firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 12, 2016
SCIENCE + TECHNOLOGY GIANTS: Incubator model is reimagining research and lab design
Interdisciplinary interaction is a common theme among many new science and technology offices.
| Aug 12, 2016
Top 40 Science + Technology Architecture Firms
Perkins+Will, HDR, and HOK top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest science + technology sector architecture and A/E firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 12, 2016
OFFICE GIANTS: Technology is giving office workers the chance to play musical chairs
Technology is redefining how offices function and is particularly salient in the growing trend of "hoteling" and "hot seating" or "free addressing."
| Aug 12, 2016
Top 100 Office Architecture Firms
Gensler, HOK, and Perkins+Will top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest office sector architecture and A/E firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 11, 2016
RETAIL GIANTS: Retailers and developers mix it up to stay relevant with shoppers
Retail is becoming closely aligned with entertainment, and malls that can be repositioned as lifestyle centers will have enhanced value.
| Aug 10, 2016
Top 90 Retail Architecture Firms
Gensler, GreenbergFarrow, and MG2 top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest retail sector architecture and A/E firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 10, 2016
DATA CENTER GIANTS: Information overload is pushing the limits of mission-critical facilities
Streamlined design and delivery approaches for individual business enterprises and co-location facilities are being born out of the necessity to bring new capacity online as quickly as possible.