Wildwood School
Los Angeles
SPF:a

A warehouse provides the setting for this sparse and tasteful progressive learning environment

© John Edward Linden

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Utilizing an existing 55,000 square-foot, 1940’s brick warehouse building, the architects embarked on the design for a new West Los Angeles private high school. The client asked that the project be completed by the coming school year and at a very modest price. The firm’s simple, functional concept for the school was inspired by its soaring wooden bow trusses. Starting with 12 double bays of trusses spaced 20 feet apart (the ideal classroom width), four semiautonomous "pods" were created, one per grade. Occupying three bays, each pod comprises five classrooms and a stairwell. Interaction takes place along a broad corridor, which connects parking and street entrances, and in an angular, aluminum-clad addition that houses an auditorium, music room, and gathering space.

Folding partitions between classrooms facilitate impromptu get-togethers. Liberal use of color identifies each pod and makes primary-hue exclamations in public areas. Birch paneling and maple-veneer benches warm up the neutral industrial concrete, drywall, and aluminum. Mezzanine spaces for studying were created in the belly of the bowstringed trusses. Every nook and cranny is utilized as a programmatic element.

The organization of the school is a series of interconnected and interwoven elements organized by the existing structural components of the warehouse. As a result of the tight budget (the project was brought in under $100 per square foot), the finishes are sparse, as the architects preferred. However, amenities such as translucent classroom ceilings for natural light and operable skylights for ventilation were possible.

Formal name of Project:
Wildwood School

Location:
Los Angeles

Gross square footage:
55,000 sq ft

Total construction cost:
$6.3 million

Owner:
Wildwood School

Architect:
SPF:a
3384 Robertson Place, 2nd floor
Los Angeles, CA 90034
310.558.0902
fax: 310.558.0904
www.SPFa.com