Just When Things Were Looking Up At LAUSD
Hodgetts + Fung's prototype classroom.
Last month we reported on the LAUSD’s push to design new schools and temporary facilities using innovative prefab prototypes designed by Hodgetts + Fung, SLO, and Gonzalez Goodale. But today we learned from the LA Times that the jump starter of that project, LAUSD facilities chief James Sohn, has just resigned (among other things, the Times story noted questions about various conflicts of interests with contractors). So the fate of this, and other LAUSD projects may be up in the air.
The good news: According to Richard Luke, LAUSD’s Deputy Director of Planning and Development, “there should be no impact” on the prototypes program. “We’re proceeding with those, and we’re trying to move to the next step,” he tells AN. We’ll be watching to make sure all goes ahead with those and other new plans at the district.
Grow Baby Grow
Sure, sports fields are great. But wouldn’t it be cool if your school had a great garden? GOOD Magazine and the LA Unified School District think so too. They’re looking for architects as well as teachers, students, parents and anyone else to create affordable, scalable, modular school garden designs that any school can use. There’s more to it than you might think. Plans can include not only plants and plant beds but pathways, tool storage, irrigation schemes, greenhouses, benches, seating, trellises, plant beds, paths, trees, potting tables, farmstands, and so on.. It’s a great idea to unleash creativity and learning in a place that’s so often dominated by tests. Winning designers will attend a one-day workshop with landscape architect Mia Lehrer to refine their proposals, and one garden will be installed in a Los Angeles school by October. Submissions are due by June 15, and the winners will be chosen by July 1.
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