Judges' Comments

• The jury admired how the architect was able to do a lot with a whole set of constraints, including budget and program. The clever use of color to differentiate space was very successful and they noted how the double loaded corridor plan was used to an advantage, creating opportunities for relief along the length of the plan. The jury felt that elevating design for these kinds of projects is important to our profession, and to society as a whole.

Project Data:

Completion Date:     9/2/2016

Square Footage:      57000

Building Use:           K-12 Public Charter School

Location:                 Santa Ana, CA

Project Description:

Magnolia Public Schools was confronted with a dilemma when it chose a site for its new Santa Ana campus: how to fit 750 students into a single building on a relatively small lot. As the students would range from kindergarten to high school age, it became particularly important not only to provide space for each class, but to do so without compromising the sense of identity or security of each student – supporting the school’s mission to provide college-preparatory STEAM education in “a safe environment that cultivates respect for self and others.”

As is implied by the school’s two entrances, the solution to crowding was to carve out specific spaces for students of different ages. The first floor of Magnolia Science Academy (MSA) Santa Ana is reserved for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, while the middle and high school-age students occupy the floor above. This separation is supported by the provision of two separate entrance lobbies, allowing space for younger children to circulate and socialize without the intimidation of their older peers. An outdoor play area for grades one through five is likewise sheltered from the older students; the school’s youngest children, meanwhile, enjoy a separate kindergarten play area directly adjacent to their classroom spaces.

Despite this division, the two levels are bound together by the Promenade: the common thoroughfare running along the front of the school building. Here, students can make their way from the drop-off zone to one of the school’s two entrances, encountering and mingling with their classmates as they do. The curving façades of the second floor are cantilevered dramatically above, providing a sense of visual and spatial motion as students move from one end of the Promenade to the other. From this central axis, visitors can access both main entrances, the outdoor lunch area, and physical education facilities. Corridors within the building run parallel to the Promenade, reinforcing this axis. Along their length, interior glazing provides glimpses of classrooms, suggesting an open learning environment; vibrant colors and alcoves for the display of student work, meanwhile, help to build a sense of community and connection.

In keeping with Magnolia’s focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education, the center of the second floor is occupied by a trio of fully-equipped laboratory classrooms. Uniformly soft, shadowless lighting, supplemented by ample natural light, creates a comfortable, practical space in which students can devote their full attention to learning skills suited both for college and for potential careers in technology and sciences. Each lab space opens onto the Science Deck, an open-air patio where students and teachers can perform experiments not suited to interior spaces.

While student comfort and academics drove the design, environmental considerations were taken into account throughout the project. MSA Santa Ana was designed to comply with a number of performance standards, including the High Performance Schools Criteria and Savings By Design, and additionally qualified for an HPI Energy Grant. With its carefully-considered layout and efficient performance, MSA Santa Ana is designed to provide the underprivileged students of Orange County with a safe, innovative learning environment for years to come.

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

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