Los Angeles, CA – Berkeley Hall’s new Arts and Science Building completes the first part of a 2.5-acre Master Plan designed by Parallax Associates to move the school toward a new frontier in education. The technically advanced facility for drawing, painting, making music, and exploring science opened in fall 2009, expanding the range of classes offered at Berkeley Hall and setting a new standard for technology in the classroom. Each classroom was designed around the simple goal of maximizing student and teacher performance.
Nestled into a gentle slope on the school’s wooded campus in the Sepulveda Pass, the Arts and Science Building complements the school’s existing low-rise, 1980’s architecture. Open a classroom door, however, and it’s clear this building belongs to the 21st century. Lights flicker on automatically, the ceiling rises to a lofty height, and floor- to-ceiling windows reach outward to an expansive view of pine trees and playing fields.
“Natural and artificial light can be adjusted for a variety of activities,” said Architect Craig Jameson of Parallax Associates. “Built-in counters and closets ease the transition from one activity to the next. Special acoustical construction assures quiet environments for concentration, and each room features a floor-to-ceiling ‘tacking wall’ on which student work and teaching materials can be posted.”
The building’s architecture features a restrained single-story facade that faces the campus and a dynamic two-story elevation that gestures outward to playing fields and wooded hillsides. Classrooms appear to float weightlessly over the floor below and this “floating” second story features continuous green-and-blue, floor-to-ceiling windows leaning out under a broad eave. The lower-level walls tilt inward, conveying a sense of solid permanence and intensifying the outward thrust of the window wall above. This level also includes a large woodshop equipped with a unique acoustic ceiling system that ensures the sound of saws and hammers don’t disturb the classes above.
The classrooms also incorporate the latest wireless network technology and feature new “interactive white boards” allowing teachers and students to use an electronic stylus to interact with educational materials projected onto a large screen at the front of the class. Teachers can link their computers to the system and present their lessons (including material from the school’s network and/or the Internet) from a PC or laptop. Students use personal memory sticks to take away and return homework assignments.
Outside each classroom a “learning garden,” designed with regional drought-tolerant plants, grows with minimal irrigation. Students learning botany can take cuttings and start low-water gardens of their own, while art students find a dazzling array of plant formations and colors to feed their imaginations.
“The new science classroom is a beautiful space that inspires investigation,” said Science Teacher Stacy Greenwoods. “The students are even more inspired about doing science. With the “learning garden,” they have the opportunity to observe and explore the natural world right from the classroom.”
Guiding the dramatic design of the facility was a desire to maximize sustainable features and minimize environmental impacts. The building’s broad eaves shelter it from solar heat and all classrooms are accessed directly from outdoors—eliminating the need for air-conditioned corridors. Sustainable woods were used for millwork and cabinetry, and rainwater runoff from roof and paving surfaces is filtered through an underground system before entering the city’s storm drain. Inside classrooms, operable windows allow natural ventilation that reduces the need for air conditioning while substantial wall and ceiling insulation keeps heating and cooling requirements to a minimum. Large dual-pane, insulated windows admit plenty of natural light and restrict heat gain, and fluorescent lighting in each space is equipped with motion sensors, turning off when rooms are not in use.
The Arts and Science Building completes the first part of a 2.5-acre Master Plan designed by Parallax Associates and approved by the Los Angeles Planning Department in 2005. The plan’s second phase features a new 13,500 square-foot gymnasium surrounded by outdoor playgrounds and sports facilities. For additional information and images, please visit www.parallaxassociates.com.
Berkeley Hall School
Founded in 1911, Berkeley Hall is one of the oldest independent schools in Los Angeles. The school offers Pre-K through 8th grade classes on a 60-acre campus amid the natural beauty of the Santa Monica Mountains, minutes from the west side of Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. Berkeley Hall inspires its students to excel in academics, and be active thinkers and conscientious stewards of the world around them.
Parallax Associates
Founded in 1994 by John Masotta and Craig Jameson, Parallax Associates plans and designs distinctive academic facilities for Southern California’s top independent schools. Clients include Berkeley Hall School, Chadwick School, Sierra Canyon School, Brentwood School, and The Archer School for Girls. For additional information and images, please visit the Parallax Web site at www.parallaxassociates.com
Nestled into a gentle slope on the school’s wooded campus in the Sepulveda Pass, the Arts and Science Building complements the school’s existing low-rise, 1980’s architecture. Open a classroom door, however, and it’s clear this building belongs to the 21st century. Lights flicker on automatically, the ceiling rises to a lofty height, and floor- to-ceiling windows reach outward to an expansive view of pine trees and playing fields.
“Natural and artificial light can be adjusted for a variety of activities,” said Architect Craig Jameson of Parallax Associates. “Built-in counters and closets ease the transition from one activity to the next. Special acoustical construction assures quiet environments for concentration, and each room features a floor-to-ceiling ‘tacking wall’ on which student work and teaching materials can be posted.”
The building’s architecture features a restrained single-story facade that faces the campus and a dynamic two-story elevation that gestures outward to playing fields and wooded hillsides. Classrooms appear to float weightlessly over the floor below and this “floating” second story features continuous green-and-blue, floor-to-ceiling windows leaning out under a broad eave. The lower-level walls tilt inward, conveying a sense of solid permanence and intensifying the outward thrust of the window wall above. This level also includes a large woodshop equipped with a unique acoustic ceiling system that ensures the sound of saws and hammers don’t disturb the classes above.
The classrooms also incorporate the latest wireless network technology and feature new “interactive white boards” allowing teachers and students to use an electronic stylus to interact with educational materials projected onto a large screen at the front of the class. Teachers can link their computers to the system and present their lessons (including material from the school’s network and/or the Internet) from a PC or laptop. Students use personal memory sticks to take away and return homework assignments.
Outside each classroom a “learning garden,” designed with regional drought-tolerant plants, grows with minimal irrigation. Students learning botany can take cuttings and start low-water gardens of their own, while art students find a dazzling array of plant formations and colors to feed their imaginations.
“The new science classroom is a beautiful space that inspires investigation,” said Science Teacher Stacy Greenwoods. “The students are even more inspired about doing science. With the “learning garden,” they have the opportunity to observe and explore the natural world right from the classroom.”
Guiding the dramatic design of the facility was a desire to maximize sustainable features and minimize environmental impacts. The building’s broad eaves shelter it from solar heat and all classrooms are accessed directly from outdoors—eliminating the need for air-conditioned corridors. Sustainable woods were used for millwork and cabinetry, and rainwater runoff from roof and paving surfaces is filtered through an underground system before entering the city’s storm drain. Inside classrooms, operable windows allow natural ventilation that reduces the need for air conditioning while substantial wall and ceiling insulation keeps heating and cooling requirements to a minimum. Large dual-pane, insulated windows admit plenty of natural light and restrict heat gain, and fluorescent lighting in each space is equipped with motion sensors, turning off when rooms are not in use.
The Arts and Science Building completes the first part of a 2.5-acre Master Plan designed by Parallax Associates and approved by the Los Angeles Planning Department in 2005. The plan’s second phase features a new 13,500 square-foot gymnasium surrounded by outdoor playgrounds and sports facilities. For additional information and images, please visit www.parallaxassociates.com.
Berkeley Hall School
Founded in 1911, Berkeley Hall is one of the oldest independent schools in Los Angeles. The school offers Pre-K through 8th grade classes on a 60-acre campus amid the natural beauty of the Santa Monica Mountains, minutes from the west side of Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. Berkeley Hall inspires its students to excel in academics, and be active thinkers and conscientious stewards of the world around them.
Parallax Associates
Founded in 1994 by John Masotta and Craig Jameson, Parallax Associates plans and designs distinctive academic facilities for Southern California’s top independent schools. Clients include Berkeley Hall School, Chadwick School, Sierra Canyon School, Brentwood School, and The Archer School for Girls. For additional information and images, please visit the Parallax Web site at www.parallaxassociates.com