California K–12 District Completes Elementary School Campus Replacement

The West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) in Richmond, Calif., recently announced the completion of a replacement campus for Lake Elementary School, according to a news release. The school has capacity for 470 students between Transitional Kindergarten (TK) and sixth grade. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects and Alten Construction for the build, which was funded by Bond Measure R.

“This campus marks a new era for our students and the entire community,” said Cheryl Cotton, district superintendent. “These facilities are a source of immense pride, replacing buildings that were no longer up to code or capable of supporting our educational programs. The campus now provides students and staff with the essential resources they need to thrive. Thank you to the project team and the community for your support in bringing our new school to life.”

Lake Elementary School exterior
Image courtesy of Quattrocchi Kwok Architects

The 56,700-square-foot campus uses a “Learning Suite” concept, grouping individual classrooms around open, flexible spaces, according to the news release. Amenities include a library, administrative space, and a multi-purpose building with a kitchen and cafeteria. Improvements to the outdated and undersized campus involved high-elevation, synthetic turf fields and paved play areas.

“We are proud to partner with the district and Alten to make the new Lake Elementary School a reality,” said John Dzbczak, QKA Principal. “Our priority was ensuring a safe learning environment both during the complex phases of construction and for generations of students to come.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • DLR Group Hires Three for Higher Education Practice

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has brought three new hires on board to help shape its higher education practice in California and the northeast, according to a press release.

  • Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The College of Western Idaho's Agricultural Sciences Complex has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.