California Schools Honored for Intelligent Design

The Coalition for Adequate School Housing (C.A.S.H.) and the California Council of the American Institute of Architects (CCAIA) honored three LPA designed K-12 schools at their annual conference for school facilities.

Awards of Honor were given to Hector Godinez High School in Santa Ana, Calif. and the Livermore High School Agriculture and Technology Complex, in Livermore, Calif. An Award of Excellence was also given to the Beverly Hills High School Science and Technology Center, in Beverly Hills, Calif.

“We were especially honored to receive these awards because the jury was comprised of both educators and practicing architects,” says Jim Kisel, a K-12 Principal at LPA Inc. “These awards tribute the architectural merit of each project plus, our ability as designers to integrate educational program needs.”

As more and more schools focus on career technical education opportunities, programs like that at Livermore High School—with their agriculture and technology complex—lean toward the future.

“The building will be LEED certified for schools and the classrooms will be university level,” comments Floyd Wilson, Facilities Director for the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District. “Students will have spaces to keep specimens, conduct experiments, and learn through hands on experiences in the greenhouse, metal shop, fabrication and cryogenic labs, to name a few.”

The building will also function as a living, breathing example of sustainable design and energy efficiency. Through the building, students can learn about onsite irrigation, the recycling of water through a bio swale, a vegetative roof, contents made with recycled materials and optimum building orientation. Their building will teach them to do more with less.

With more than 250 K-12 projects to their credit, the school designers at LPA have designed and modernized more green schools than any other firm in the state of California. They use integrated design teams—with architects, engineers, planners, interior designers, and landscape architects—to create spaces that save money, enhance learning experiences, and balance technology with nature.

Learn more at LPA’s Green Schools online section.

Images: LPA