Leadership Center Project at Dunn School Scheduled to Open Late 2019

Earlier this year, Allen Construction began work on a new 6,121-square-foot, state-of-the-art, leadership center at Dunn School in Los Olivos, Calif. Once completed, the Cindy Bronfman Leadership Center will be a multi-purpose facility that serves as the hub of whole-student education and leadership at Dunn School.

DUNN School

The new center will feature:

  • Flexible spaces for modern teaching and learning
  • An Innovation Lab for student collaboration
  • The Earwig Café, a student-run snack bar that teaches business and entrepreneurship
  • New College Counseling Center
  • Large Alumni Hall for all-school meetings and presentations
  • Student loft for quiet study and retreat
  • Outdoor balcony with a view of the Santa Ynez Mountains
  • Generous shaded spaces outdoors for reflection and relaxation

The building is designed based on a “first principles” approach by taking full advantage of natural phenomena to achieve energy efficiency. The building will have three large wind chimneys to capture and funnel hot air out the top of the building. The floors will be exposed concrete, which will help cool the building naturally during warmer months, and large bay doors can be opened to allow the Valley breezes to cool the building even further.

“We are excited to be part of this great project for Dunn School,” said Eric Johnson, Regional Director for Allen Construction. “The building’s design falls in line with our philosophy of green building and sustainability.”

The facility is expected to be completed by late 2019. For updates on the project, please visit dunnschool.org.

Featured

  • Phoenix School District Breaks Ground on New Prep Academy

    The Creighton Elementary School District near Phoenix, Ariz., recently broke ground on a campus replacement for Biltmore Preparatory Academy, according to a news release. The new space will allow the school to expand its enrollment by 50 percent for K–8 students and accommodate modern, collaborative learning styles.

  • Haws Corporation Marks 120th Anniversary

    Haws Corporation, which provides hydration and emergency safety solutions worldwide, recently announced that the company is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, according to a news release.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.