Temescal Valley Elementary School

Corona, California

Firm

PCH Architects, LLP

Client

Corona/Norco Unified School District

Area

75,735 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$10,324,650

Completion Date

07/2003

Elementary school sites do not always come with perfect topographies or access options. Temescal Valley Elementary School sits on a terraced, oddly shaped site with a steeply sloped street frontage that allows limited access. In response, the design team developed clusters of one- and two-story buildings around secure, tree-shaded courtyards, linked by covered walkways. Outdoor circulation, patios for faculty dining and student reading, as well as the amphitheater, take full advantage of Southern California’s climate and the views of the nearby national forest. Monumental wall elements, featuring profiles derived from California’s Anacapa Island, order the different campus components.
Flexible educational spaces with computer and Internet access in every classroom encourage the development of new programs for special interest, vocational and life skills. A centralized media-management system allows teachers to access digital information from their laptop computers. Security, fire-alarm and air-conditioning systems are monitored from the district’s central office through an energy-management system.