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