Camino Nuevo Charter Academy Middle School
Los Angeles
Daly Genik Architects

Like a magic wand, Daly Genik’s skill transforms neglected buildings into opportunities for celebration

By Alice Kimm

© Tom Bonner

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

The Camino Nuevo Charter Academy is the brainchild of Philip Lance, a highly proactive priest, who has been aided by school specialist Paul Cummins and charter-school developer ExED. Camino Nuevo responds to crisis conditions in one of the most impoverished areas of Los Angeles.

Featured here is the just-completed second phase—a middle school housed in an 8,500-square-foot, one-story former warehouse and an adjacent 10,500-square-foot, three-story former office building. The latter runs along Wilshire Boulevard, a major thoroughfare. With this project, Daly Genik continues its exploration into upgrading the conventions of generic building types and using derelict buildings to create vibrant cultural and civic facilities.

When the school opens this fall, its 250 to 300 students will occupy 10 classrooms, four located in the one-story volume of the former warehouse and six on the second and third floors of the former office facility. (A continuous circulation system allows the two structures to function as one building.) The raised classrooms are linked by wide corridors that run directly alongside Wilshire. A parents’ center and the school’s administrative offices reside on the ground floor. An independently functioning community health center also occupies this level.

The main entrance to the school is located at the south end of the one-story former warehouse building. This structure is divided down the middle, with classrooms on the west side and the school’s major circulation spine, or street, on the east. Looking through the front gates provides a captivating view down the street, which will be full of activity when the facility is open.

Introducing natural light into this building’s interior was of utmost importance. This was accomplished with west-facing clerestory windows in the classrooms and large openings in the roof above the street. The openings are left uncovered; noises dissipate into the sky, and fresh air and light are present at all times. The street is further enlivened by a curved, folded, and colored plaster wall enclosing the classrooms. This wall further animates one’s view into the school from the street outside.

The most interesting feature of the renovated, three-story office building is the treatment of the upper-story facades protecting the corridors along Wilshire Boulevard. The architects replaced the existing curtain wall with corrugated, perforated stainless-steel sheets to create a giant sunscreen. Light, views, and sound pass through its porous surface. From the street, silhouettes of people moving back and forth behind the facade are clearly visible.

See the March 2003 issue of Architectural Record for full coverage of this project

Formal name of Project:
Camino Nuevo Charter Academy Middle School

Location:
Los Angeles

Gross square footage:
19,954 sq ft

Total construction cost:
$3 million

Owner:
Pueblo Nuevo Development www.pueblonuevo.org

Architect:
Daly Genik Architects
1558-C Tenth Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401
t. 310 656 3180
f. 310 656 3183
www.dalygenik.com