Santa Monica High School Discovery Building / HED
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Santa Monica High School Discovery Building / HED
Text description provided by the architects. The Santa Monica High School Discovery Building is the first example of an education project designed according to Open Building principles in the U.S. Locally known as “Samohi,” the project is part of a multi-phased redevelopment and replacement plan for the historic campus.
With the premise that long-term use and adaptability of buildings and places is inherently more sustainable, Open Building seeks to enhance longevity and resilience through a set of basic principles that impact design, as well as how buildings are delivered and managed over time. Building format, structure, and services all strive for adaptability of the final fit-out in ways that are relevant to program type, such as housing vs office uses: form approximates function.
Samohi is in transition in terms of pedagogy from classroom-only accommodation to a spectrum of defined classrooms and labs complemented by multi-functional ‘commons’ areas. This evolving condition revealed it as ideal for the Open Building approach. To fully understand the progressive program goals of the School and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, the team’s design process was based on a series of workshops with teaching and administrative staff. These meetings reinforced a hybrid approach to the use of open commons versus discrete spaces.
In contrast to single and double-loaded corridor layouts common in California, the five level Discovery Building has deep floor plates that allow the clustering of spaces and activities in a greater variety of sizes and formats, supporting different modes of learning. Classrooms connect with glass-fronted sliding doors onto a continuous network of open circulation and commons areas with a variety of set-ups for individual and team projects conducted by the students themselves. In addition to typical classrooms and labs, the program has a range of special features, such as a computer center, STEM learning, discrete suites for students with special needs, and a large distribution center for warehousing and distributing educational materials.
A critical factor is that project resources are significantly directed to advance a high-quality, high-service interior environment. The Discovery Building accommodates ongoing change with a large format structural grid and interior fit-out and services that are discrete from the structure. The building fabric itself supports future development with:
- A prefabricated steel moment-frame structural system enables a variety of floor plans without shear walls.
- Electrical and communication systems combine with air distribution under an accessible raised floor, freeing ceilings from rigid service requirements.
- Interior walls are potentially demountable and lend themselves to reconfiguration.
- Windows are broadly distributed with a central courtyard bringing natural light into the interior of the large block
- Underfloor air distribution contributes to adaptability
The exterior design uses modest materials to establish a strong civic character for one of the city’s most important public buildings. Taking its cues from Samohi’s original moderne architecture, its more contemporary interpretation is expressed in simple curves and planes of white cement plaster with deep-set windows. Grand, operable glass storefronts at ground level open the building up at its most important public links to surrounding open space.
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