New High School Planned in Los Angeles

Amino School Los AngelesOn July 22, 2014 a massive fire broke out and destroyed half of the Animo South Los Angeles High School campus. Located in one of the toughest areas in South Central Los Angeles, an area that was a central trouble spot during the 1964 Watts and the 1992 Rodney King Riots, residents’ median family income is less than $35,000/year and 25-percent of the population lives below the poverty level. Green Dot Public Schools is replacing the burned school with a new public charter high school for 630 students that is visually open but entirely secured.

The replacement building contains 11 classrooms, two science labs, a faculty lounge, new administrative and counseling offices, and public courtyard space for student gatherings and activities.

Designed on an extremely limited budget and aggressive schedule, simple cost-effective gestures were deployed in the use of cladding, fenestration, color and transparency to create a memorable sense of richness, providing a bright moment in an extremely tough inner-city community. Unlike most school that are enclosed by a property line security fence, the South Los Angeles High School building is surrounded by a 20-foot-high perforated bullet resistant metal walls that are integrated into the building design. The project architectural firm is Brooks + Scarpa. Learn more at www.brooksscarpa.com.

Featured

  • Illinois State University Breaks Ground on College of Fine Arts Transformation

    Illinois State University in Normal, Ill., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts transformation project, according to university news. The series of new constructions and renovations will upgrade spaces in Centennial East, the Center for the Visual Arts, and the Center for the Performing Arts, as well as replace the existing Centennial West facility with a new Commons Building.

  • Wisconsin District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The School District of La Crosse in La Crosse, Wis., recently broke ground on a new elementary school that will consolidate the students and staff of two existing schools, according to local news. Funding for the school comes from a $53-million referendum approved in 2024.

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.