Logan Memorial Education Campus white and wood building viewed across the street from the sculpture abstracting the initials

Logan Memorial Educational Campus

Community-Based Education Campus Honors Local History

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Project Location

San Diego, CA

Client

San Diego Unified School District

Area

99,000 SF

Program

TK – 8, child development center

Starting with protest and ending with an applauded master plan, the Logan Memorial Educational Campus – transitional kindergarten through grade 8 – rebuilds the existing K-8 campus and adds a new child development center. Building forms that are simple, bold, and influenced by Mexican modernism result in architecture that fits the neighborhood and builds on the rich cultural history of the area.

The existing Logan Elementary and Memorial Middle School was rumored to be closing. The first master plan meeting opened with protest signs and news crews. Over the years, the community had instilled a sense of great pride in their neighborhood school and wanted its rich culture to be preserved in the new design. With an open and transparent process, the resulting master plan not only retained the TK-8 component but transformed the site into a single comprehensive TK-12 educational campus. When complete, the complex will also house the first high school in Logan Heights’ history, making it a true neighborhood school.

The design was ultimately influenced by the community, resulting in a transformative school. Master plan stakeholders, including many who live in the neighborhood, worked with the design team in reviewing existing site conditions, adjacent land uses, traffic patterns, projected enrollments, budget, and schedule. After understanding the site and defining the educational opportunities, the group established site zoning schemes that best fit the community and responded directly to the site and campus educational goals.

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Exterior view to the side of the entrance with path curves around green space and leads up to the front stairs

Exterior tree lined walkway between buildings. Grey walls with white at the top, and a wood panel accent on right upper wall

A blue metal patterned gate is recessed under a white overhang with wood panels underneath and a skylight at center

A playground shaded in a large yard with murals along fence and plant space

Playroom with large windows and light colored wood shelving and furniture. White ceiling panels hang over half carpeted floor

Entry seen across plaza. White canopy with skylights covers entry. White walls with large windows and wood accents by steps

Closeup of stairs to recessed second level entry with floor to ceiling windows. White pillar, right, and wood paneled wall

Seating area in white room with glass wall to outside. A black ceiling with grey square drop ceiling details and lights

Exterior view of covered basketball court recessed between buildings. Right, 2nd floor, a wood panel wall with large windows

A theater with light blue and grey walls, a wooden stage. Above, sections of wood panel divided by rows of square lights.

View of stage from opposite corner. Left is floor to ceiling windows. The space is now filled with folding chairs

Side exterior of building. Right section has white front with angled recessed wood section in the middle. Ahead are the steps

A white building with a wood middle stripe, and box extending at center right. Abstract murals run vertically on two sides

Design

This campus is a walkable neighborhood learning center, engaging parents and inspiring students. Student-centered, Montessori learning environments have been designed to support hands-on learning, teamwork, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Design

Academics

Integrated Learning Experiences

The TK - 8 campus is proud to be a public Montessori school by putting students at the center of learning. Montessori focuses on the whole student including social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development. Students learn and explore at their own pace in order to become critical thinkers. Additionally, the TK-8 campus will offer classes that integrate with the career pathways at the future high school on the same site. The learning commons is adjacent to two STEM spaces, resulting in a vibrant student environment where students create, research, think, and present to their peers. Classroom villages are designed around collaboration spaces to promote flexible learning. Throughout the entire campus are maker spaces and design labs with 3D printers, laser cutters, and other equipment to prototype and create manufactured work.

A playground shaded in a large yard with murals and chalkboards along fence and plant space

The TK-8 educational environments have been designed to support hands-on learning, teamwork, communication proficiency, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Double height seating area with shelves and large windows. A solar system hangs on the back wall. Interior windows above

The traditional library is re-envisioned as a collaborative learning commons, where students can gather, socialize, and showcase their work.

Community

Neighborhood Learning

A childhood development center provides the Logan Heights community with care and enrichment programs for infants through 2 years, in support of research that shows children learn from infancy. In addition to supporting children and parents, this space serves various programs and activities that will be offered to the community through the school district. The community room assists families through an educational enrichment program focusing on nutrition education, health, and social services.

An art master plan was developed to engage the local arts community and integrate murals, signage, and ornamental metal works into the design.

Exterior of white back wall with wood box extension at center, angled toward windows with translucent panels. Murals on sides

Eight large-scale exterior building panels abstractly represent one of the core concepts of the school: community, compassion, creativity, growth, leadership, collaborate, inspire, and innovate.

Environment

High-Performance Design

The project is Collaborative for High Performance Schools-designed, a program aimed to reduce energy consumption in California’s K-12 educational facilities. The district also is participating in Savings by Design offered by SDG&E, which offers financial incentives based on project performance for new construction and renovation projects. High performance attributes for the facilities include natural ventilation, materials that promote energy and water efficiency, maximize the use of natural lighting, improve indoor air quality, utilize recycled materials, and create acoustical conditions that are conducive to optimal learning environments. The project is targeting net zero energy use with over 55,000 SF of photovoltaic panels, potentially even generating more energy than it consumes.

Sustainability was a key factor in design decisions regarding the creation of learning environments, accommodating operational effectiveness, and energy efficiencies.

Sustainable design elements include natural ventilation, materials that promote energy and water efficiency and maximize the use of natural lighting.