Planning & Design Meetings Meeting #4 12/15/2008 - MinutesGUNN HS MP MEETING No. 4
Palo Alto Unified School District 15 December 2008
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GUNN HIGH SCHOOL MASTER PLAN
Palo Alto Unified School District
MASTER PLAN MEETING NO.4
DATE: 15 December 2008, 1:00–2:30 pm
SUBJECT: Master Plan Meeting with Gunn HS Facilities Steering Committee
ATTENDEES: No sign-in sheet available
The following are the highlights of the meeting:
1. As an introduction, architect Erwin Lee reviewed the master plan site diagrams from
the last meeting. He then introduced a new site layout diagram. Important elements
from the new diagram are:
• Replace the existing music building and create a large entrance to the
courtyard.
• Move the staff lounge to the south side of the administration building, and move
administration and attendance services on the north side, where the faculty
lounge and patio is currently. This would create a café edge where the existing
cafeteria is now that opens into the courtyard. It would place administrative
services at the entry.
• The lobby of the Spangenberg Theater could be expanded, creating a “beacon”
that could be seen from the parking lot, accentuating the theater.
• The Performing Arts building remains a single-story building, but the footprint
would be much larger to accommodate additional programs.
• Demolish the RC building that the student activities space is currently in, and
build a two-story building with offices and conference room on the second floor;
classrooms and new student activities center on the ground floor.
• Build a two story, 40-classroom building complex in the Titan Village that can be
entered has direct access from the courtyard.
After the discussion of potential design goals, the following were comments by the
steering committee:
• Science equipment is shared between the science classrooms and there is only
one, part-time assistant, so there is a need to keep all science rooms together.
The architect suggested that some services could be moved from adjacent
buildings to accommodate the science department’s needs. He explained that
the existing science building should not be expanded because the grade change
at the back of the building is too significant. A large retaining wall would be
required, making it an expensive option.
• There was a question about where the offices from the existing RC building
would move. It was suggested that the existing language and english offices
would be moved to the second floor of the new replacement classroom building.
GUNN HS MP MEETING No. 4
Palo Alto Unified School District 15 December 2008
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• There was a concern that pedestrian traffic through the courtyard to the new
buildings in Titan Village would be very congested due to the protruding stairs of
the Theater. The architect said that he thinks that this problem could be
resolved, and that he would look into possible modifications of the stairs.
• It was suggested that the new buildings in the Titan Village could be accessed
by the existing road, leading pedestrian traffic to filter through existing buildings,
instead of a direct route from the courtyard.
• If an entry court is created, delivery vehicles will still need access to the
cafeteria.
2. It was stated that the resources that are currently shared between the departments
now dictate where each department is located. The steering committee discussed
their program needs with the architect. The important requirements were:
• The office/workroom/conference room requires a lot of space.
• The same resources are shared for newspaper, yearbook, photography, and
digital media arts class. If a new media center is built, the spaces for these
classes should be combined.
• There is a need for a large area for video broadcast that can accommodate a
live audience.
• Expanding the current space for the science office may not be necessary,
because the staff uses the science preparatory space for office space as well.
• Social Studies classes are heavy users of computer resources and the resource
center/library. If Social Studies is relocated to a new building in the Titan village,
there will be a need for at least two resource labs.
• The general consensus is that the faculty spaces on campus are limited.
During the discussion of program needs, the following were suggested by the
steering committee as additional elements:
• In the design, more space could be allotted for a future a volunteer office
• Small offices should be built alongside classrooms L-11 and L-12, where the
block of lockers is now. The current block of lockers should become a textbook
storage space
3. The meeting was opened up for public comment. The highlights of the comments
and questions from the public audience are:
• It is a good idea to introduce more landscaping to keep students on the
deliberate paths, but if we limit the AC paving, where will they walk? The
architect stated that students typically walk the shortest distance possible from
two points, so the most important step is to get travel paths resolved before
designing landscaping.
• The grand entryway is a great way for students to take pride in their school.
• If a new gym is built, it should be close to the old gym, and perhaps share a
court to create a larger space for dances.
• All possibilities of single-story construction throughout campus should be
explored before deciding to build two-story classroom or office buildings.
Principal Noreen Likins stated that the decision has already been made to limit
sprawl on campus, due to travel distances and short passing periods. The
architect stated that the site is very limited due to the easement restriction, but
this possibility would be worth looking into.
• The plan presented was generally well received and the effort and process
involved to get to this point is commendable.
GUNN HS MP MEETING No. 4
Palo Alto Unified School District 15 December 2008
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4. A brief discussion was held regarding what is needed for the next meeting. Each
department will work out a matrix amongst themselves regarding adjacencies, and
meet with the architect individually to discuss specific needs. The architect
scheduled a block of time for doing so.
END
Prepared by Erwin Lee of Deems Lewis McKinley. Please advise if you feel that any of the above items are
inaccurate or need further clarification or detail.
cc: Attendees
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