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POINT
LOMA HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE
AND CLASSROOM BUILDING
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA
Photography:
Pablo Mason
The design of the two-story classroom building organizes a program of ten classrooms, two science labs, offices and support spaces into a clear and compact scheme within a structural, concrete masonry envelope. The inherent qualities of concrete masonry provide a versatile solution that satisfies the aesthetic and functional objectives of the design: durability, low maintenance, textures and colors, sound insulation, and fire resistance. The lightness of the exposed steel and metal awnings and handrails, and the curved metal roofing, provide a balanced contrast against the mass of the concrete masonry.
The use of concrete masonry helps to articulate the prominence of the two major building volumes that house the classroom spaces, while also imparting a sense of scale by its individual components. Two different textures and colors of CMU are used to further accentuate the reading of the two “classroom blocks”.
Recessed building planes at the entryways and window spandrels are expressed in the facade with the use of a single-scored, maroon-colored, glazed concrete masonry units, which provide a distinct contrast with the adjacent, neutral toned concrete masonry used for the classroom “blocks”. The maroon color for the glazed CMU was selected to integrate one of the school colors into the building facade.
At the east and west elevations, vertical window “bays” were created using concrete masonry wing walls to define the zones of the window openings. To enhance the vertical reading of these window bays, single-scored CMU were used above and below the window openings located between these wing walls.
ARCHITECT:
Zagrodnik + Thomas Architects, LLP
2927
Meade Avenue
San Diego, CA 92116
Scott Thomas, AIA
Ruth Fajarit-Davis, AIA
Julie Chiu, Associate AIA
Design
Team
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER:
Curry
Price Court
GENERAL CONTRACTOR:
Soltek
Pacific
MASONRY CONTRACTOR:
Modern
Masonry
BLOCK PRODUCER:
RCP
Block & Brick, Inc.
OWNER:
San Diego Unified School District
