Schools

Award for New Fairmont School Design

The design for the planned new Fairmont Elementary School in El Cerrito, by Hibser Yamauchi Architects in Oakland, has been honored with an "Award of Merit" in an architecture competition for school design.

Calling it a "crown jewel of our program," a school district official Tuesday night announced that the design for El Cerrito's planned new Fairmont Elementary School has received an "Award of Merit" in an architectural competition for school design in California.

Magdy Abdalla, engineering officer for the West Contra Costa Unified School District, included the award during his presentation on school construction plans at a joint meeting of the school board and the El Cerrito City Council at El Cerrito City Hall. 

The design, by Hibser Yamauchi Architects of Oakland, would create a "colorful, secure, and environmentally responsive place," in the words of the five-member panel of judges.

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The competition was sponsored jointly by the American Institute of Architects, California Council, and California's Coaltion for Adequate School Housing.

There were 18 entries in the contest, and the Award of Merit is the third highest honor, according to Stacy Lowrance of the Coaltion for Adequate School Housing. Taking the top "Award of Excellence" was the Lodi Unified STEM Academy, by Rainforth Grau Architects, and winning the second-place "Award of Honor" was San Marcos High School, by LPA.

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Noting the Fairmont site's relatively small size (about three acres) and close proximity to an elevated BART track, the judges noted approvingly that the design turns "the buildings inward around a shared interior linear court that then expands to embrace outdoor play space and fields on the back of the site."

"The classroom forms are highly articulated as they reach outward and upward for light and sun when needed and the site feels safe and secure from negative influences," the judges said. "There is an echo of some of the best of the 1950’s era one-story schools organized along exterior canopied walkways that really let the children recognize and relate to their own learning place."

The panel also praised the planned accommodations for the large population of students with special needs, saying, "The inclusion of Special Education with General Education is well thought out and will allow students to integrate seamlessly."

The existing Fairmont Elementary School is slated to be demolished, with the two-year construction of the new school anticipated to begin in early 2015, according to Jorge Rico, Fairmont project manager for Hibser Yamauchi.

The construction schedule will be determined by the timing for relocating the school's students during the work, Rico said, adding that the plan calls for the students to be placed in the temporary buildings now being used by Portola Middle School. Portola students are waiting for their new campus to be completed at the former Castro Elementary School site.

Hibser Yamauchi is the architect also for the new Portola school. The firm has done work also on a number of other schools in the West Contra Costa Unified School District, including Harding and Kensington elementary schools.

The judges for the school design competition were:

  • Lisa Constancio, California Department of Education (CDE)/School Facilities and Transportation Services Division
  • Richard Conrad, Division of the State Architect (DSA)
  • Joe Dixon, Coaltion for Adequate School Housing Vice-Chair, Santa Ana Unified School District
  • Michael A. Enomoto, FAIA, President of the American Institute of Architects, California Council (AIACC), Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA), Gruen Associates
  • Thomas Jones, dean of the College of Architecture and Environmental Design, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

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