Originally constructed in the 1920s as a Shops Building, SMUHSD’s “Old Brick Studio” was in dire need of restoration and renovation. The historic, but long neglected, structure on the San Mateo High School campus had over the years fallen into disrepair.

Making use of the centrally located building’s vastness, northern clerestory light and industrial materials — including original brick and concrete — QKA re-envisioned the building to provide art studios, general education classrooms and large meeting spaces. The new and improved 20,000-square-foot building been seismically upgraded throughout, historically restored on the exterior, and enhanced with new technology and modern amenities, including the ability to function as a black box theater for student and community performances. The project achieved high Collaborative for High Performance School scores for reuse, conservation, restoration of existing materials, sustainable new materials and natural light and ventilation.

“As architects, it all comes together for us when we have the opportunity to design modernizations and restorations of historic buildings,” said QKA Principal Mark Quattrocchi in a statement. “Having worked on the San Mateo High School campus previously as well as other sites throughout the district, it was a thrill to collaborate with our colleagues and friends to bring this previous vocational shops building —the last remaining original building on campus — to modern use for today’s students and staff. The abundance of natural light and original high ceilings makes the building an ideal space for art studios, large group meetings and performances.”

The purpose of the Leroy F. Greene Design and Planning Awards Program is to enhance the educational programs available to California public school students by recognizing exceptional architectural and program implementation in the design of public school facilities, according to a statement by QKA. Nominated projects are evaluated based on planning process, learning environment of the facility, design, community environment, physical environment, and the role of high performance/sustainability in the planning and design of the project.

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Designed by Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) of Santa Rosa, Calif., the new quad will serve as a central connection for student activity. The 17,000-square-foot space significantly modernizes the school campus, and remedies numerous visual barriers and accessibility issues that previously existed. It provides ample outdoor seating areas, a sloping artificial turf for student gathering, and informal amphitheater seating and a raised platform for student performances and presentations.

Meanwhile, the new cafeteria building — which replaced an older building that was demolished — comprises a café, food court and kitchen facilities, all contained beneath a lofty ceiling. A fully glazed wall with roll up doors and clerestory windows connects the dining space to the quad, giving it a more open and inviting character than the previous dining and servery space offered.

The cafeteria also has the potential to serve multiple uses. For example, the high ceilings provide an ideal indoor practice space for the school’s cheerleading, drill and flag teams. From an academic perspective, the three new science classrooms and prep spaces will accommodate growing enrollment in the school’s award-winning programs.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this new highly-functional and beautiful space we have for our students at Homestead to utilize,” said Fremont Union High School District Communications Coordinator Sue Larson in a statement. “We already have top-notch programs and educators and now have the facilities to match. We thank the entire project team for their creative, inspiring and dedicated work.”

“QKA has enjoyed a great relationship with FUHSD over the past few years, including the opening of the new Student Union at Cupertino High School in 2014, and it’s a fun opportunity for us to design spaces for the tech-minded Silicon Valley community,” said QKA Principal Mark Quattrocchi in a statement. “Similar to Cupertino, with this project for Homestead we wanted to mirror the open, collaborative environments of many of the office campuses in the area. I think we were successful and I look forward to seeing the students enjoy the space.”

Construction on the approximately $10 million quad building used a strong structural grid system; keeping costs low and concentrating funds on areas that will most impact the student experience. For instance, increasing daylighting through optimal window design was a particular focus of the project, reducing the need for artificial lighting in most spaces.

The project was funded by a $198 million modernization bond program that passed in June 2008, and is part of the district’s Implementation Master Plan. This bond also provided for improvement, expansion and sustainability projects at four other local high schools.

The project team included general contractor Lathrop Construction Associates Inc. of Benicia, Calif., program manager Kitchell of Phoenix and landscape architect Carducci & Associates Inc. of San Francisco.

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