Van Otterloo Family Campus for Learning

Design team
David Corban (Principal Architect); John Gerneth (Project Architect)

The challenge was to design a 12-classroom independent school, expandable to 24 classrooms, for preschool children of migrant and working poor families as well as provide space for a highly successful high school mentorship program.

The architect worked with the Guadalupe Center to develop a scalable program that serves the disparate functions of a school for toddlers and a mentorship program for teens. Classroom pods are arranged around three play courts that can be surveilled from corridors, classrooms and major spaces. Three identical four-classroom pods were developed, and services are in place for expansion. The Tutor Corps high school mentoring building is pulled away from main structure and rotated slightly to provide a strong street presence.

Exits directly to the outdoors from all classrooms provide escape routes, and numerous impact-rated windows provide protection and enable staff to watch for threats.

Because daylight has an uplifting effect on well-being and health, the design introduces daylight through full-height windows and clerestories in all classrooms, corridors and major spaces. Separation of the Tutor Corps building opens up exterior interaction space for students and provides a pre-function area for special events.

In its first year, van Otterloo was at capacity with 300 toddlers and 120 high school students. With ample daylighting, protected playgrounds and structured open space, the facility is an active participant in the education of these young children.

Additional Information