Completion Date:     4/12/2017

Square Footage:      20000

Building Use:           High School academics

Location:                 Irvine, Ca

Project Description:

TARBUT V’TORAH EXPANSION

Established in 1991, Tarbut V’Torah is an existing K-12 community day school in Irvine, CA. This project further expands on the original school site, bringing the facilities in-line with today’s educational and instructional needs.
Divided into three topographical levels, the school is broken down by grade levels K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. While the primary school buildings have an introverted layout keeping an inward focus; the middle school and high school open up for an outward connection to the larger community.

The existing middle and high school building served academics in the old pedagogical model: six equal classrooms in a row with two science labs, with middle school on the quad level, and high school on the upper level. The existing configuration of the campus left the high school students with no sense of ownership of outdoor gathering space or flexible learning environments with ground level access to the outdoors.

The new 20,000 sf 2-story STEaM building seeks to create a true home for upper grade students. It is sited to allow for expansive views of Orange County; its single loaded corridor configuration takes advantage of coastal breezes for natural cross ventilation via operable windows and maximizes outdoor learning opportunities. The program adjacencies influenced the form of the building, with the hands-on large lab, shop, and studio spaces surrounding a central shared space, the Huddle, designed for small group discussion and presentation.

Flexible column free spaces, polished concrete floors, as well as moveable mechanical and electrical systems in tracks above will allow the school to flex and change with technology and economy. The integration of arts to the hands-on engineering and maker spaces is a direct response of research that shows these programs increase deeper understanding and promote innovative thinking.

The building’s form is articulated to complement the existing facilities, while evolving the image of the campus to reflect the school’s pursuit of excellence and next-generation ideals – refined, long-lasting, and sustainable; “repair the world” is one of the schools’ core values. In true ‘form follows function’ approach, the exterior skin brings further definition to the unique program: durable stainless steel wraps all spaces addressing the mind; a playful color metal panel defines the sound stage, addressing the soul, and the huddle, the heart of the high school, is clad in warm wood.

An integrated design process incorporated these sustainable strategies:
• Daylighting and views for 90% of spaces.
• Consolidated mechanical equipment in roof well yields a clean roof for Solar Photovoltaic Panel array
• Quad landscape feature collects and polishes 100% of stormwater via bioswales.
• Native and water efficient landscaping with reclaimed water for irrigation.
• Water efficient plumbing fixtures.
• Mixed-mode ventilation with operable windows for all teaching spaces
• Integrated passive solar shading devices, and lighting user-controllability
• Low-emitting, Recycled content finishes

C.O.T.E. | Committee on the Environment

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