st. thomas the apostle school by griffin enright architects

los angeles-based griffin enright architects have developed a new K-8 catholic school in a densely populated part of the city. situated on an extremely small site, the project is designed to achieve the maximum effect with limited resources, working with an economy of means to turn every constraint into an structural opportunity. the pedestrian entry for students and families occurs along a rising ramp up to the middle of the site and arrives in a large urban porch. this space will become a new nexus for the school, functioning in a variety of different ways; accommodating an outdoor lunchroom, entry to the school, entry to the library, a second story balcony accessed from the new art room and existing classrooms above. the balcony will also provide become a pulpit / lectern for the larger religious occasions such as easter. the urban porch provides a new identity for the school and parish within the city.

griffin enright architects: st. thomas the apostle school students at morning announcements on the urban porch.

a new playground is stacked over parking, and a new driveway wraps around the perimeter of the site, providing a fire lane, a buffer for  the school community, and an on-site drop-off in front of the ‘urban porch’. the new building, housing a gym/multipurpose room, art room  and library, is separated from the existing one to accommodate a phased construction and to allow light to reach the former basement of  the existing building. the basement of the existing building was excavated providing new outdoor play areas for kindergarten, first and second grades that consolidated from the older kids. bridges, a stair and a new elevator connect the buildings and engage the covered outdoor space.  off-the-shelf trusses cantilever to create shaded outdoor gathering spaces, as part of a simple palate of cost-effective materials.

griffin enright architects: st. thomas the apostle school main entrance with stair

griffin enright architects: st. thomas the apostle school a view from the entry to the urban porch

griffin enright architects: st. thomas the apostle school a view to the playground from the bridge

griffin enright architects: st. thomas the apostle school the pedestrian ramp leads to the urban porch

griffin enright architects: st. thomas the apostle school the urban porch creates shade for the audience during a concert

griffin enright architects: st. thomas the apostle school the stair serves as a balcony during performances

griffin enright architects: st. thomas the apostle school the gymnasium double functions as a community room

griffin enright architects: st. thomas the apostle school an evening view of the front facade

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here