NEW L.A. SCHOOL BUILDINGS: LARGEST SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN U.S. HISTORY

[archd1]

I'm surprised no one started this thread sooner (but correct me if I'm mistaken). The Los Angeles Unified School District had embarked on a $19.2 billion building spree (the largest in U.S. history, http://www.laschools.org/). Quite a number of them had been built, under construction and in the planning/design stages. I'm excited about the prospect of L.A. school children going to class and experiencing these new, really cool buildings. Here's three of my favorites:

LA CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL #9, aka LA HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS, currently under construction at a cost of....$208 million!. Location: Sunset and Grand Ave. across the 101 FWY from the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels:





SCIENCE CENTER HIGH SCHOOL
Location: Exposition Park, Opened in 2004




CAMINO NUEVO CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL
Location: Temple St., Virgil St., Beverly Blvd.
Under construction





OTHERS

Dena Primary Center:

John Mack School:

LA New Primary Center #5:

Southeast High School:

The Infamous Belmont Learning Center in downtown LA now called Vista Hermosa:

[klamedia]

It's truly phenomenal what the city is attempting to do. Along with mass transit and billion dollar civic parks, the city is going through a major transformation right in front of us.

[PotatoGuy]

It is, those schools are all awesome

[612bv3]

Those schools looks awesome indeed. I wish my school looked like that.

[I-275westcoastfl]

Im moving to LA my school is a piece of shit especially being compared to those.

[Fern~Fern*]

So true I see all these new schools being built just about everywhere. Funny thing is that they don't have a boxy school look from the 50's. Some of them resemble museums, space ships from uraenus. I remember my Jr High school look like you went camping. A lot of dark brown wood pillars walk ways between buildings. There was a lot of pine tree's all over the campus, inside and around the campus. Every classroom had AC/Heat and brand new comfortable chairs and desk. We had a dinning room instead of a cafeteria. And yes, this was LAUSD!!!!

[archd1]

Although this public school is not part of LAUSD, it is still worth mentioning because of the numerous design awards it received. Diamond Ranch High School in Pomona by Morphosis. Completed in 2001:

[IMG]http://www.*************/architects/morphosis/diamond/1.Diamond-Ranch.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.*************/architects/morphosis/diamond/4.Diamond-Ranch.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.*************/architects/morphosis/diamond/3.Diamond-Ranch.jpg[/IMG]

[archd1]

Although this public school is not part of LAUSD, it is still worth mentioning because of the numerous design awards it received. Diamond Ranch High School in Pomona by Morphosis. Completed in 2001:

[IMG]http://www.*************/architects/morphosis/diamond/1.Diamond-Ranch.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.*************/architects/morphosis/diamond/4.Diamond-Ranch.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.*************/architects/morphosis/diamond/3.Diamond-Ranch.jpg[/IMG]

[Manila-X]

What makes Belmont Learning Centre infamous? I though it's a Juvenile Hall or something!

[archd1]

This is the only project LAUSD can't be proud of. As far as I know it was a total fiasco in terms of planning. First, they discovered methane gas was seeping into the building's foundations. The methane mitigation program was never fully implemented because of errors in the environmental studies and plans submitted by the LAUSD consultants. Second, they "discovered" an earthquake fault line some 50 meters (or feet?) or so beneath 2 or 3 buildings which is a building code violation for school construction. Because of this, they have to demolish 2 newly built structures and build new ones away from the fault line. If you've seen the project, it is pretty daunting and does look like a juvenile detention center, all boarded up. They have already spent $165 million to build it and another $145-$155 million is needed to correct their mistakes. This is the most expensive high school project in the state's history. Now, the LAUSD is pushing through with the construction because they are required by law to finish it together with the 150 or so new schools in the next few years and with $19.2 billion in taxpayer's money, they say: Hey! no problem! Tsk!Tsk! I think someone, somehow, made tons of money in this project.

[Facial]

Originally Posted by Jim McConnell

...when our new construction program is complete in 2012, we will have built the equivalent of San Diego's entire school district right here in LA!

DANG. That's gonna make the people around me (where I'm at right now) feel pretty bad...

[godblessbotox]

i should take a picture of the school by me... it looks like a federal prison

[Æsahættr]

How do they get all this $?

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

3 massive billions of dallar bond proposals that passed in the last 7 - 10 years have paid for all this. this has been and continues to be the most ambitious and most expensive school building project in US history.