Our Lady Of Guadalupe's School is a raised, elongated bar building that hovers, covers, zigs and zags as a K-8 school responding to existing buildings, zoning restrictions and its corner hillside site.
20 miles south of Los Angeles in the beach community of Hermosa Beach, the new 6,000 sf catholic school’s program includes 2 classrooms (STEM & Music), faculty areas and administrative offices.
Concrete support walls give the building a lightness that seems to defy gravity, allow children to play below and allow parking between. They are pulled from the face of the building so they disappear into shadows below. The elevated building also provides a covered student lunch area.
Stairs anchor each end of the building and reinforce the site’s slope with two different access experiences. One is light, open and sculptural while the second is carved into the hillside.
