sequoyah school
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Weaving into an existing mid-century campus fabric that includes the work of architects Smith and Williams and landscape architect Garrett Eckbo, Sequoyah’s expansion echos the spirit of the original architecture, while providing a sustainable, contemporary interpretation for a new generation.
PASADENA CA
2013
11,800 SF
Publication:
ARCHITECTURAL RECORD
Photo:
PENTAPRISM
Award:
AIA PASADENA FOOTHILL HONOR AWARD 2011 , 2013
PASADENA BEAUTIFUL FOUNDATION CREATIVE DESIGN AWARD 2013
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The new L-shaped building turns its back against a freeway off ramp to frame a generous central courtyard.
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A two-story classroom structure features a north-rising ceiling to provide efficient daylight, passive cooling and heating.
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Moveable partitions, bay window lofts and exterior “seminar pods” support Sequoyah’s flexible class sizes and focused student group work.
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Separated by an intimate courtyard, a soaring one-story structure houses the performing arts and transforms into an all-school assembly space. Expressed plywood clad roof trusses rise to a clerestory providing daylight and sound attenuation.
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An exterior wall slides open to an ample outdoor stage that addresses the central courtyard for community-wide performances.
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Intersecting rectangles of perforated steel lace across the school’s new perimeter edge, creating a fence simultaneously opaque and transparent with the shifting sun.
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