(PRWEB) November 17, 2005 -- Rachlin Architects’ Dena Primary Center, LAUSD’s first of its kind in East Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights in 50 years, is now open. Located at 2750 East Hostetter Street, the school will be dedicated Thursday, Nov. 17.
“ By using playful primary colors, diverse materials and natural day light, we’ve designed an exciting learning environment for young childre... ”
Rachlin Architect’s progressive contemporary design for the 2.92 acre campus includes 10 classrooms for 250 students, a library, food service, and administrative offices, and features an outdoor amphitheatre-style central courtyard and expansive playground facilities. The design also allows for future expansion.
“By using playful primary colors, diverse materials and natural day light, we’ve designed an exciting learning environment for young children. To establish a sense of community, we organized the campus around an elliptical shaped courtyard and assembly area. This provides a public plaza that can be shared by students and the surrounding neighborhood,” said Rachlin Architects’ founder Michael Rachlin.
Part of Los Angeles Unified School District’s major building effort, the new Dena Primary Center alleviates overcrowding at the neighborhood’s Dena Elementary School and provides a lively visual and highly functional environment for five-to-eight-year-olds in kindergarten through second grade.
LAUSD began building 160 new schools throughout the district in 2002. To date 49 schools, 35 expansions and 17 early education centers have been built and 42 schools are under construction.
Culver City-based Rachlin Architects has designed more than 150 K-12 and higher education facilities and specializes in programming, planning and designing innovative buildings and interiors. The firm’s staff of 18 architects uses a collaborative process, led by the partners that challenges the client, user and architect to develop inspired program-driven design solutions that are meaningful, community based and environmentally responsible.
Established in 1982 by Michael Rachlin, AIA, NCARB, LEED, and expanded in 1992 with Richard Ingrassia, AIA, LEED, the partners have extensive experience in higher education, K-12 schools, institutional, multi-family and historic preservation. The work of the firm and its partners has been recognized with numerous awards for design excellence including a national AIA Honor Award. For more information go to: www.rachlinarchitects.com.
