SPRING ARCH TOUR FEST: Venice High School Comprehensive Modernization Project

Photo Credit: Nico Marques

Spring ARCH TOUR FEST: Venice High School Comprehensive Modernization Project

Information regarding the tour will be emailed directly to registrants 24 hours before the event.

Tour Led by:

Tour Organizers:

NAC Architecture

The Venice HS Project is a reorganization and reinvention of one of LAUSD’s most historic campuses. Over time, this unique campus with iconic P.W.A. Moderne style Buildings and open site, became disordered with aging buildings and the addition of bungalows. NAC’s design leverages the open campus culture and temperate climate and conceived an activated school that explores the potential for a fluid relationship between indoor and outdoor learning and introduces innovative pedagogies and programs to the High School. The new Science Court is furnished with a variety of raised planters, demonstration gardens, and outdoor classrooms that can be flexibly programmed to meet curricular goals. The old Senior Quad is reimagined as The Arts Veranda, allowing for outdoor breakout and passive gathering space under a mature canopy of magnolias. The Main Quad becomes the new heart of the campus, designed for student performances and various types of gatherings including school assemblies, dramatic performances, and ceremonies like graduation.

Three primary new buildings take advantage of their relationships to the landscape and leverage the design character of the historic structures. Following the district’s strong sustainability agenda, each new building is fully commissioned and verified under the criteria set by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools. The Science Building’s vertical glazing and zinc cladding relate to the existing campus front. The Science Building embraces the adjacent Science Court and fronts the neighboring Venice Community Garden. The CTE pathway Horticulture Classroom and Flex Engineering Lab spill onto a patio space extending the classrooms to the exterior while the upper-level chemistry labs access the Quad directly via a dynamic exterior stair.

The Arts and Shop Building houses several shops on the ground level including an Auto-Lab and a unique Print Shop with exterior access to accessory learning areas. Arts Rooms on the upper level claim a long, glassy expanse on the north façade; their bright interior accent walls are visible from the adjacent Quad. The accent wall includes an announcement board that lists creative programs happening inside. The Gym and its accessory spaces, including the Practice Gym, locker rooms, Sports Medicine area, Aerobics Room, Weight Room, and Fitness area. The design also creates a new competitive athletics complex supporting the school’s football, soccer, baseball, softball, track and field programs. Dramatic graphic signage reinforce the school’s pride and identity and a bold, bermed grandstand elevate the high school fields into a full stadium concept.