Project Data:

Completion Date:     8/1/2020

Square Footage:      48000

Building Use:           High School STEM Center

Design Architect:      Lionakis

Project Description:

A 2013 facilities condition assessment which identified Orange High School’s (OHS) existing facilities as “poor” in nearly every category was the impetus for the development of a visionary master plan for the campus, which was built in 1953 to provide the school, founded in 1903, with a permanent home. With such a storied 120+ year history, Panther pride runs deep in this community. Finding the balance between the needs of 21st century learners and the community’s passion for OHS' rich history inspired a vision for transformation of the flagship campus. Using District Planning Guidelines to ensure equity with the District's four comprehensive high schools, the planning team guided OHS stakeholders through a robust engagement process, designed to build trust and understanding in a community which had long struggled to gain support for general obligation bonds. A 2014 bond was unsuccessful, but in 2016, Orange Unified School District finally passed a $288 million bond to fund critical facilities improvements across the District’s four high schools.

The OHS campus was ripe for transformation, with aging, undersized and ill-equipped science labs that did not support a 21st century science curriculum. Additionally, a lack of science labs meant that many OHS students were required to take science in classrooms without appropriate infrastructure, requiring that they carry water from the restrooms in a bucket when needed for experiments. Using District-wide Planning Guidelines and Educational Specifications as the guide the design team envisioned a vibrant addition, in the form of a new STEM Center, to bring the campus’ science facilities into the 21st century. In the new STEM Center, 12 spacious, flexible labs provide students with sustainable, flexible and technology-rich learning environments and science labs to accommodate project-based, hands-on learning. Labs are spacious enough to accommodate 40 students at a time and provide ample space to provide dedicated areas for lecture and lab activities.

The new 48,000 square foot STEM Center was completed in 2020, bringing the first step of the vision to life and setting the stage for the rest of the campus’ transformation, setting a new aesthetic for the campus. Site development included reducing the heat island effect on the campus using high albedo paving and roof materials as well as providing much needed shade on the nearly 70-year-old campus. The major wing of the STEM Center is oriented north-south providing ideal conditions for daylighting, further enhanced by shading devices and light shelves, in the lab spaces. Interior materials and finishes were selected based on their low-VOC properties as well as their lasting durability.

Design for a strategic addition in the form of a classroom and administration building adjacent to the future Alumni Plaza is currently underway. Together, these new campus features will create connection and aid students in envisioning their own pathways beyond their OHS experience, whether to Chapman, other major universities, or to careers inspired by their opportunities at OHS.