Construction Begins on Stanford’s New Grad School

By Eric Althoff

PALO ALTO, Calif.—Cardinal students will soon have an entirely new place to teach the next generations about the school’s mascot, known as “the Tree.” CAW Architects (in collaboration with William Rawn Associates) and McCarthy Building Companies are renovating 98,000 square feet of existing space as well as building from the ground up a new 42,700-square-foot structure for Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE) and the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, the latter designed to foster cross-disciplinary research and work toward more equitable educational models.

The project will be realized thanks to renovations to the old Education Building and the Barnum Center for Family and Community Partnerships, as well as the brand-new third building located next to Meyer Green. A new courtyard and gardens will connect the trio of edifices.

The GSE will offer modern classrooms and gathering spaces where students and educators will commune and discuss the educational needs of both the present and the future.

Donations for the GSE have come from several Stanford alumni. The project is due to be completed in the spring of 2025.

CAW Architects is based in Palo Alto, also home to Stanford University, while McCarthy operates from several offices nearby in Northern California. William Rawn Associates is based in Boston.