Plans are drawn and the first shovel of dirt turned – signaling big changes for the new Portola High School in Southern California’s Irvine Unified School District (IUSD) opening in fall 2016. The 2,400-student high school has been designed from the ground up around the concept of collaboration and “active learning.”
“Technology is an essential tool that’s been integrated throughout the entire campus, not just in the classrooms,” says David Gales, principal with Waveguide Consulting. “Learning will happen everywhere.”
Buildings are organized to create areas for gathering, dining and studying outside and indoors during inclement weather, and a Campus Center will provide places for students to study and learn in less formal, more unstructured ways.
The list of high-tech features is long with Waveguide providing the technology, structured cabling and acoustic designs. WiFi data and Internet access across the entire campus will allow students to access information anywhere. A digital media production studio will provide new tools for learning and creativity. A performing arts theater, black box theater and dance studio with a full complement of audiovisual technology will provide additional spaces for creativity and learning.
Waveguide is excited to team with HMC Architects on this progressive school project, one that is sure to inspire students to succeed.