Arcadia High School Campus Redevelopment

The redevelopment of the Arcadia High School campus is a story about how teen subcultures, heritage and architectural redevelopment come together to make a high school “tick”. Arcadia’s spatial experience unfolds as one moves through the central courtyard emphasizing the social structure and optimistic learning environment through the use of external circulation and outdoor spaces that has resulted in edifying architecture. The juxtaposition of intelligent planning with enriching educational experiences derived from the school’s 1950’s suburban context have resulted in the formation of a complex iconic image that is capable of blooming under pressure, both literally and metaphorically. Arcadia’s redevelopment provides a rare opportunity to reintroduce a modern state-of-the-art facility into a well established neighborhood. The building’s free form with encapsulating views, simple detailing, and selective use of landscape within a desert setting were dominant design themes that were re-employed throughout the campus to successfully anchor the school within the community once again.