Add as a preferred source on Google

California Boarding School Opens New Inquiry Collaborative Facility

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/29/25

Cate School, a boarding school in Carpinteria, Calif., for students grades 9–12, recently announced that it has finished renovating a historic dining hall into a new academic hub, according to a news release. The school partnered with Blackbird Architects and Tangram Interiors on the two-story, 16,000-square-foot Inquiry Collaborative.

Building features include “media and technology studios, classrooms, a ceramics studio, study pods, offices, a double-height terraced reading and lecture space, and the school’s library collection,” the news release reports. The project’s goal was to create a flexible, versatile space allowing students to work together, recharge, and create.

Photo courtesy of Tangram Interiors

“We weren’t just designing furniture layouts—we were helping to shape how students experience academic inquiry,” said Tristin Kranenburg, Sales Director at Tangram. “Every design choice had to answer a single question: Will this environment support and inspire learning?”

Highlights include flexible seating zones for both single and group study work; an AV and digital media lab; and the use of warm colors and bold palettes to evoke the campus’ coastal surroundings.

Photo courtesy of Tangram Interiors

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • KI Launches K–12 Classroom Furniture Giveaway

    Contract furniture company KI recently announced the launch of its fourth-annual Classroom Furniture Giveaway, which awards $50,000 each to four K–12 educators across the U.S., according to a news release. The goal is to address decreasing student engagement and increasing teacher burnout numbers by updating learning spaces to accommodate modern needs.

  • Malibu High School Campus Completes $102M Phase 1 of Construction

    Malibu High School in Malibu, Calif., recently announced that it has completed phase 1 of construction for its new campus, a news release reports. The first phase consisted of developing and modernizing the site of a former elementary school into a new, 70,000-square-foot, two-story facility.

  • LSU Breaks Ground on $200M Residential Project

    Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., recently broke ground on a new residential complex, according to university news. The South Quad residential project will consist of two buildings and add a total of 1,266 beds for freshmen students. The development comes with a price tag of $200 million, and it’s scheduled to open to students in fall 2027.

  • UNL Kiewit Hall

    Designing for Engineering Excellence: Integrating Sustainability and Wellness at UNLs Kiewit Hall

    Kiewit Hall at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln exemplifies how academic institutions can integrate sustainability and wellness into modern learning environments. With an integrated and collaborative team approach, Kiewit Hall addresses enhanced learning and creativity, physical health, and mental wellness, and fosters a sense of community through innovative design, operations, and policy solutions.

Digital Edition