Project-in-Design

Award of Merit

Robert R. Ovrom Community School & Neighborhood Center

Burbank Unified School District

WLC Architects

A participatory planning process, which included District and City representatives, students, parents and residents with the architects, provided the means to achieve a consensus-building plan for this project.

The design concept boldly creates a valuable new neighborhood park, seen as an outdoor “great room” for the community, by anchoring a new three-level structure on the corner of the site. A new student quad provides a sense of community to the school, and, along the surrounding building terraces and park areas, creates added outdoor learning environments. A unique mixture of selected materials and technologies result in a timeless architecture, providing an abundance of daylight and healthy building interiors and a solid foundation of sustainable design elements. The project fosters strong partnerships of community use and connects learning opportunities to the community by the strategic use of shared services, programs and facilities. A shared computer lab within the plan is dedicated to student and community use. The school's front porch, main entry and whimsical roof form provide a new community focal point, while the central atrium within establishes a strong sense of community and unifying purpose.

Jurors agreed this is an excellent urban solution. One juror remarked, “This is a building in the heart of the entertainment capitol of Southern California and it evokes that glitzy feeling. It's exciting and urban, but at the same time it has a lot of environmentally sound components to the solution. It's a fun project.”