Grover Cleveland Charter High School

Design Team
PBWS Architects (Architect): Barton Anderson (Partner), Wade Frazier (Architect of Record), Kirstyn Bonneau and Mark Lansdown (Project Managers); Kemp Bros. Construction (Contractor): Steve Rosenfield (Design-Build Project Manager), Stan Sarkauskas (Director of Preconstruction/Chief Estimator), Chris Miller (Project Executive), Nick Pemberton (Project Manager); Psomas (Civil Engineer): Cecilia Hamilton (Civil Engineer); IMEG (Structural/MEP Engineer): Terry Tsang (Partner-in-Charge: Structural); Kerry Parker (Partner-in-Charge: MEP), Gary Huang (Structural Project Manager), Roger Pura (Electrical Project Manager); Architectural Resources Group (Historical Consultant): Katie Horak (Architectural Historian); MIG (Landscape Architect): Gary Lai (Landscape Architect); Webb Foodservice Design (Foodservice Consultant): Meloney Smith (Project Manager); Newson Brown Acoustics, LLC (Acoustical Consultant): Ben Toews (Acoustical Consultant); Schuler Shook (Theater Consultant): Kent Conrad (Senior Theater Consultant)

The comprehensive modernization of Grover Cleveland Charter High School transforms the 1961 finger plan campus into a 21st-century learning environment that respects its modernist roots while strengthening campus life. Planned for 1,500 students, the campus has seen its population more than double. To accommodate the large student population, decades-old portable classrooms were placed on much of the campus, resulting in chaotic circulation.

This project removes all portable classrooms. New buildings are arranged to create an enlarged quad, reinforce the original finger plan, and establish a promenade parallel to the original campus spine.

Scope:
• Design and construct seven new buildings that add more than 185,000 square feet for performing arts, general and special education classrooms, science labs, drafting and engineering labs, multimedia classroom, food service and dining, childcare, and campus support services.
• Modernize two classroom buildings and the gymnasium.
• Refresh finishes of existing campus buildings.

Design goals:
• Respect and enhance the campus’ mid-century design and site planning.
• Create multifunctional open-air gathering/circulation spaces.
• Employ the tenets of biophilic design to improve cognitive function, psychological and physiological health.
• Design for security, ease of maintenance, durability, and long-term performance.

The new quad will function as the heart of the campus. It will have raised planter seating; outdoor stage; event lighting for concerts, performances, and school dances; permanent exterior classroom seating; and ample shade. It will provide space for serendipitous social interaction and extracurricular activities that enrich campus life.

The new buildings are arranged in simple, geometric volumes, utilizing a palette of brick, steel, stucco and metal-framed glazing that draw from the original mid-century finishes expressed through an asymmetrical, rhythmic composition. The completed project will enable contemporary learning pedagogies to be employed in specialized programs that have been restricted due to a shortage of space. These include media arts, drafting, digital humanities, engineering, science, theater, music, and art.

Additional Information

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