Panorama High School, Panorama City, Calif., includes a three-wing, four-story building; an auditorium; and a two-story athletic and food-service building. It can accommodate up to 2,400 students in grades 9 to 12.
The school is situated on an 18.22-acre site in a dense urban neighborhood. Its size made it necessary for the architect to provide creative solutions to fit each of the school's components.
A landmark facade acts as a “front door” to welcome students and filter visitors. The organization of the buildings around the quad creates a sense of place, but also keeps students in a controlled environment that can be monitored easily.
The high school offers public use of several of its facilities, which can be accessed after hours through a separate public entrance. The architect designed the campus for easy access to the food-service/physical-education complex, which includes a community room, library, auditorium and gymnasium at the southern end of campus. The adjacent Olympic-size swimming pool also was designed for public use.
To delineate the site's major walkway, concrete masonry pylons begin at the urban edge of campus and continue along the borders. A red, freestanding wing wall is next to the exterior stairs and defines the school's main entry.
The architect is WWCOT (Santa Monica, Calif.).
Start: August 2003
Completion: October 2006
Project area: 250,461 sq. ft.
Cost: $71.8 million
