MALIBU, Calif.—C.W. Driver Companies has commenced the first phase of its work on the $110 million construction project at Malibu High School, an educational institution that falls under the umbrella of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD). The new school will be built upon the site of the former Juan Cabrillo Elementary School.

The first phase includes constructing a 70,000-square-foot building that will house a library, performing arts classrooms, multipurpose rooms, STEM classrooms, administrative offices and cafeteria. As designed by NAC Architecture, the two-story building will feature an open breezeway that is fashioned of copper-clad and concrete walls.

The exterior design calls for common areas for the high school’s students that will be shaded by an overhead canopy. Photovoltaic panels will help generate power from Southern California’s ample sunlight and aid in the project’s goals of energy conservation as well. C.W. Driver was able to source panels that would fit in with the roof steel trellis.

Prior to engaging in new buildout, C.W. Driver and its team also must demolish nine older buildings at the jobsite, totaling removal of 38,853 square feet of older construction. This preconstruction and demolition had to be executed while the plans for the new buildings were still being approved by the Division of the State Architect (DSA) so that the project timeline could be completed on time.

Subcontractors working with C.W. Driver and NAC Architecture include Koning Eizenberg Architecture, AMPCO North, California Solar Integrators, Inc., Hunsaker and Associates, and Pfeiler & Associates Engineers.

“C.W. Driver has the dedicated skill set and many years in school construction required for a project of this scope,” said Karl Kreutziger, President of C.W. Driver Companies. “Our extensive experience spans over 150 K-12 projects for more than 23 different school districts, totaling close to $2.2 billion worth of construction over the past 30 years. Having the opportunity to work on this project for SMMUSD is a perfect fit for us and our capabilities.”

In a subsequent statement to School Construction News, C.W. Driver Project Executive David L. Amundson said that because the Pacific Coast Highway is the main point of entry for large trucks to access the smaller streets leading up to the job site, moving 19,000 cubic yards of materials up to the construction site through various neighborhoods on roads that branch off of PCH had to be handled delicately. Furthermore, ongoing supply chain issues have been a concern amid the aggressive construction schedule.

“The design includes building a new bus drop-off location around existing large, specimen trees that will require relocating the existing access road to the upper campus,” added Amundson. “The new access road goes around the perimeter of the new building and must be coordinated to take place so that there is no interrupted access to the upper campus from Morning View Drive.”

Measure M, passed by Malibu voters in 2018, is assisting with the funds for the project.

“We are excited to begin construction of the new Malibu High School,” said SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton. “This school will allow our students to have an educational experience that encourages exploration, project-based learning and the importance of collaboration.

“Our students will have classrooms that are safe, conducive to learning, and large enough to facilitate instructional practices that are cutting-edge.”

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A curriculum that emphasizes environmental science set the tone for the design of the new Hazel Wolf K-8 school in Seattle. As an Environmental STEM (E-STEM) school, the urban facility needed a design that not only featured the typical flexible learning spaces seen in most of today’s 21^st century schools, but also interior labs, green walls, outdoor learning spaces and gardens for students to get a well-rounded environmental education.

The 83,000-square-foot school was built on a 3.2-acre site in time for the 2016-17 school year. NAC Architecture served as the architect, while Lydig Construction served as the general contractor — both of which have local offices in the Seattle area.

“The main goal was to create a school that was custom made to suit [the district’s] E-STEM program and to do this in a creative way on a small piece of property, giving students good access to outdoors and their natural environment,” said Matt Rumbaugh, principal architect for NAC Architecture.

Embracing Nature

Research continues to show that nature and outdoor lessons enhance learning by triggering the curiosity of young learners. At Hazel Wolf, all subjects are taught through an environmental lens, starting at the kindergarten level. Early learners at the school partake in lessons that include a fallen leaf scavenger hunt, while third to fifth graders learn about the history of native cultures and earthquake analysis. Sixth through eighth graders are taught how to conduct soil filtration tests and practice creative writing while sitting in nature.

“The idea that environmental learning is something the school does on a day-to-day basis influenced the overall feel and layout of the building, and you really feel that when you go to the building,” Rumbaugh said.

The school’s specific lesson plans helped inspire the design for the facility itself, which can accommodate up to 680 students. The building was organized in three parts, with approximately one-third dedicated to outdoor spaces and the rest dedicated to indoor ones. The first part is a three-story academic building where a majority of the classrooms and science labs are located. The central portion includes the main office area, library and art room as well as an outdoor reading area off the library that connects to the central courtyard atop the building. The third section features a cafeteria commons, gymnasium, and music room and stage as well as a preschool space available for a licensed private provider.

A key part of the design is the outdoor courtyard located on the roof of the building’s middle portion. This open-air space features several teaching areas focused on plantings and stormwater management, including a constructed rain garden for students to learn about the water cycle. Here, students can test water samples for pollutants.

“There is also an area in the courtyard where students can see where rainwater comes onto the site, how it’s dealt with, how it’s treated and how long it stays on site,” said Bill Dobyns, vice president of business development for Lydig Construction.

Other outdoor spaces include recreational fields, a butterfly garden and a botanical garden that serves as an outdoor laboratory.

Because the building is so focused on the outdoor environment, the design team addressed security in a couple of ways. First, the building itself wraps around the central courtyard to increase security, with doors and gates that allow the courtyard to be secured throughout the day. Additionally, the butterfly garden was located within the fenced area adjacent to the outdoor space, and students can only access the botanical garden with teacher supervision. Another way the school addresses security is through after-hour key-card access that limits and controls use of the building when classes are not in session.

Following a national trend in school security, the school also features a vestibule for visitors to enter through during school hours. The vestibule includes a camera and a buzzer/intercom system, so school administrators can see and communicate with everyone requesting access to the building before it is given, according to Dobyns.

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