Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School

Design Team
Robert Kerr, AIA (Principal); Chris Cortez; Jessica Gardner

Constructed over parking, Our Lady Of Guadalupe School (K-8) is a raised bar building that hovers, covers, zigs and zags as it responds to existing buildings and its corner hillside site. Situated in the dense residential beach community of Hermosa Beach, the new Catholic school’s program includes two classrooms for STEM and music, faculty areas and administrative offices. Concrete support walls create a lightness that seems to defy gravity. Zoning restrictions for parking and height were turned into design opportunities by raising the building off the ground and placing gathering areas underneath. Stairs anchor each end of the building and reinforce the site’s slope with two different access experiences. One is light, open and sculptural, and the second is carved into the hillside. New interior corridors have long, uninterrupted windows that enable faculty to watch children at recess. Just as important, students can now observe faculty as they work in the building.

Additional Information

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