brooks + scarpa: greendot animo leadership school

‘greendot animo leadership school’ by brooks + scarpa, california, united statesimage © brooks + scarpaall images courtesy of brooks + scarpa

not all sites are ideal. this particular plot is located almost directly beneath the LAX flight path in a rough south los angeles neighborhood sharing aspace with the every-busy 105 century freeway. renowned practice brooks + scarpa took after the similarly situated schools of curtis and davis innew orleans to create a structure that was not only acoustically and visually comfortable, but would also become a leader in passive systems despitethe challenging context it finds itself in. when approaching the school the first impression is made from the 650 solar panels that wrap the southern facade momentarily breaking to allow a window to pop through. this grid-like aesthetic element collects and accounts for 75% of the school’s total energy use, reducing carbon emissions by over 3 million pounds produced to educate its 500 students. an open air lobby space feeds into a naturallyshaded multi-functional courtyard space with pull-out bleachers for assemblies. covered but well ventilated spaces benefit from the temperate climateand give every student access to fresh air from any classroom. the integration of natural light along the linear footprint additionally helps minimize the need for extra energy use, with design elements that carefully balance aesthetics, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness.

corner site entranceimage © brooks + scarpa

expansive solar wallimage © brooks + scarpa

main entrance from the streetimage © brooks + scarpa

periodically puncturing windows through the PV skinimage © brooks + scarpa

image © brooks + scarpa

solar screenimage © brooks + scarpa

image © brooks + scarpa

entrance to the shaded courtyard spaceimage © brooks + scarpa

courtyardimage © brooks + scarpa

louvers block direct sunlightimage © brooks + scarpa

one facade absorbs sunlight, the other filters itimage © brooks + scarpa

view form the streetimage © brooks + scarpa

site plan

floor plan / level 0

floor plan / level 1

floor plan / level 2

section

section

elevation

elevation

elevation

sustainable strategies in elevation

axonometric

perspective rendering

project info:

project’s formal name: greendot animo leadership high schoollocation of project: los angeles county, ca – lennox school districtclient/owner: greendot public schoolstotal square footage: 53,000 sq. ft.completed: 2012cost: $17,300,000.00(us)architects: brooks + scarpa (formerly pugh + scarpa)location of architect: 4611 w. slauson ave, los angeles, ca 90043project team: lawrence scarpa, faia – principal- in-charge. peter borrego, angela brooks, aia, mark buckland, project architect, brad buter, silke clemens, emily hodgdon, ching luk, gwynne pugh, sru sumantri – project design team.engineering: thorton thomassetti-structural, e2di-mechanical electrical and plumbing, veneklaussen-acoustical, barbara hall-civilconstruction manager: telecuphotography: brooks + scarpa