DIAMOND RANCH HIGH SCHOOL LOS ANGELES, CA John Enright was Project Designer and Project Architect for Morphosis Architects.
such that the two become fused through the seamless interaction between built form and topographical design. Rather than simply grading the hillside to accommodate the program, the architecture and landscape were shaped in tandem to produce new and unforeseen experiences. A large stairway takes advantage of the site’s topography to create both a student amphitheater and a passage from the main school areas to the roof terrace and playing fields above. The school encourages students to explore new areas of inquiry, learn collectively, and engage in the creative process. The social organization is
designed to promote interaction and collaboration among students, teachers, administration, and the community, while still generating a more intimate learning environment. Courtyards amongst clusters of four classrooms allow outdoor learning spaces and provide views to the mountains beyond. A central “canyon,” or street cuts through the face of the hillside, uniting the complex and allows the school to become and urban landscape, reinforced by the compression of pedestrians flowing through the central street.
The Diamond Ranch High School design, internationally recognized for creating a new quality of student life, questions traditional typologies and offers new educational experiences through spatial and topographical transformations. It is located on 72-acres of steep hillside that was considered nearly “unbuildable”. The program encompasses 150,000 sf, including 50 classrooms, a cafeteria, gymnasium, administrative space, and parking for 770 vehicles, which is integrated with the landscape,
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online