On Location – C.A.S.H. Announces Design Awards at 29th Annual Conference

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s Coalition for Adequate School Housing held its 29th annual conference and revealed the winners of its design awards program.


The Leroy F. Green Design and Planning award winners were selected by five jurors from a pool of nearly 100 entries. Fourteen projects were selected in four categories: modernizations/reconstruction, new built, project-in-design and specialized facilities.
The jurors were Fred Yeager, assistant division director, CDE/School Facilities Planning Division; David Thorman, state architect, California Division of the State Architect; Bill Savidge, C.A.S.H. vice chair, West Contra Costa USD; Jeffrey T. Gill, AIA, AIACC president MCG Architecture; Katherine Diamond, FAIA, LEED AP, NBBJ.

















New Built, Award of Excellence
Horace Mann School, San Jose
San Jose Unified School District
BFGC Architects & Planners

Jury comments: This is a wonderful urban design. It has very well thought out exterior spaces — both private and public — and a very strong connection between the buildings and the outdoor space. In an urban context, and in a place where the community cared about and participated in the design, there are all the right design and planning gestures. There is simplicity and clarity to the plan. This building is still going to look great 20 years from now. It’s a powerful expression of the community giving importance to architecture and space for its children.

Specialized Facility, Award of Honor
Natomas Charter School Performing Arts Center, Sacramento
Natomas Unified School District
Williams + Paddon Architects + Planners Inc.

Jury Comments: Planners explored every part of the experience of the performing arts as a learning environment. The students can learn from rigging lights for a performance, using backstage places for exploration, using the control room to learn the technology of performance, as well as the act of performing itself. It’s all packaged in a beautiful building that creatively uses simple materials and good massing to create a definitive sense of place. 

Project-in-Design, Award of Honor
Gratts Primary and Early Education Center, Los Angeles
Los Angeles Unified School District
Jubany/NAC Architecture

Jury Comments: This is a really beautiful project on a tight, steeply sloping urban site that extensively engaged stakeholders from community advocacy, to the council district, to the educational community, to the neighbors. This project transformed this site into an amazing series of learning spaces for the students. Planners created a facility that is simple, playful, fun and really inviting. It’s a wonderful sustainable urban design that creates a more visible public space for the students and for the educators.


Project-in-Design, Award of Honor
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Los Angeles
Los Angeles County Office of Education
HMC Architects

Jury Comments: Programmatically, this is a wonderful reflection of a high school integrated within a college environment and how that can really boost the level of education students receive and expose them to new and more challenging educational environments. Planners took a tiny site on the campus and used every inch of it to creatively maximize learning opportunities. From the roof to the limited outdoor space that becomes performance space, you can just imagine the energy, challenges and opportunities that are provided to students coming here. This is a County Office of Education project and it’s a striking example of the way county offices are creating innovative facilities to meet their responsibilities as a part of the state building program.


Additional Projects


Modernization/Reconstruction
Award of Merit
Melrose Elementary School,
Placentia
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified
School District
LPA Inc.


Vanden High School, Fairfield
Travis Unified School District
Gelfand Partners Architects


New Built
Award of Merit
Lincoln Crossing Elementary School, Lincoln
Western Placer Unified School District
NTD Architecture


Marco Antonio Firebaugh High School, Lynwood
Lynwood Unified School District
LPA Inc.


Patriot High School, Riverside
Jurupa Unified School District
Perkins+Will Architects


Riverbend Elementary School,
Yuba City
Yuba City Unified School District
Nacht & Lewis Architects


Specialized Facility
Award of Merit
Liberty School Multi-Use Building, Brentwood
Liberty School District
TLCD Architecture


Project-in-Design
Award of Merit
Alvarado Middle School Administration/Media Center/Severely Disabled Classroom Building, Union City
New Haven Unified School District
AEDIS Architecture and Planning


Applied Technology Center, Montebello
Montebello Unified School District
IBI Group

East Natomas Education Complex, Sacramento
Grant Joint Union High School District
LPA Inc.