Planning & Design Meetings Media Arts Program Meeting No.2 6/4/2009 - Minutes06/08/2009 18:15 FTP
PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL
Palo Alto Unified School District
PROGRAM MEETING NOTES
DATE: 4 June 2009
SUBJECT: Media Arts Program Meeting No.2
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ATTENDEES: Paul Kendall, Paly Tom Hodges, PAUSD/OCMI
Esther Wojcicki,Paly Aimee Lopez, PAUSD/OCMI
Margo Wixsom, Paly Jacquie McEvoy, Paly
Ellen Austin, Paly Erwin Lee, DLM
Mike McNulty, Paly
The purpose of the meeting was to review the initial plan diagram for the Media Arts
Building. The following are the highlights of the meeting:
1. A partial site plan illustrating where the proposed Media Arts Building is located and the
adjacent buildings and context was presented.
2. Erwin presented the plan diagram of the first and second floors. The building
configuration is organized around a large, two-story, central atrium (`forum" per media
arts) space that all other spaces open onto. The flexible atrium/forum space
encourages interaction and interface between the many occupants. This space will
also be used for speaker presentations and meeting space for both the department and
campus. The space would have general as well as specialty lighting and a ceiling
mounted projector to be used with a large screen. Typically, the atrium/forum space
will have casual seating and tables. However, it also needs to be converted to a higher
capacity seating arrangement with folding chairs.
3. Erwin indicated that the current area illustrated in the plan diagram exceeds the
planned area associated with the Master Plan and that it will need to be trimmed. It
was felt that there were areas which could be trimmed that would keep the building and
program intact.
4. Paul will review the classroom count, lab count and proposed locations in the building
to make sure that everyone has an appropriately assigned room in the Media Arts
Building.
5. It was suggested that large flat screen monitors could be positioned to show
continuous film loops. It was also suggested that ceiling mounted projectors might be a
goad option as well because they would be out of the way. The building should display
all forms of media from the inside to the outside.
6. The Media Arts Building must include four (4) English classrooms that can be
combined with other media arts programs.
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7. With the student restrooms located on the ground floor, it was suggested that they
might be accessed from both inside the building as well as from outside. This would
provide another set of student restrooms in the area that could be secured during the
evening. Since many students often work late hours, it's important that during the
evenings the building has a central supervised point of entry.
8. It was felt that the kitchen/cafe seating should be relocated to the first floor in lieu of the
second since it would have a better adjacency to the atrium/forum space. Parents
often bring food in when the students are working late and a ground level location
eliminates parents on the second floor.
Although the Gallery and "Board Room" are desirable spaces, the group felt that they
could give this up. The Gallery spaces could be located throughout the building as well
as in the lobby/reception area. The space occupied by the Gallery and Board Room
could become the kitchen/cafe seating area. It was also discussed that this location
allows the capacity to overflow into the atrium/forum space when necessary. it was
also suggested that gallery space might be recovered in the 100 Building during the
future modernization project or perhaps as part of the new theater project.
10. Sight lines are very important throughout the building. Transparency between
classrooms, offices and the atrium/forum is very important. Sight lines from the second
level to the lower level are also very important for both viewing presentations and for
security.
11. A Flex/Storage/Portrait Studio should be incorporated adjacent to the Dark Room. This
space should have outside access via a large roll -up door to the access road. The
room will also require a pull down backdrop to create a "shooting bay."
12. The Classroom with editing suites requires individual cubicles within the room. These
will need to be delineated in the next iteration.
13. Currently, the plan has a group of offices on the second floor. However, it's preferable
that the offices be adjacent to the classrooms or labs. The offices could also be shared
depending upon their location to classrooms. All offices should have views to the
adjacent classroom and atrium/forum space if possible.
14. There are currently six interview booths (IB) shown. The group felt that three or four
would be adequate. These rooms would be equipped with telephones. Other IB could
become offices if appropriate.
15. The group felt that the orientation of the atrium/forum should be rotated 180 degrees so
that when one enters the space they're looking at the stage in lieu of the viewing
mezzanine. Erwin indicated that this was considered and that it was oriented this way
so that when entering the space, one doesn't enter under the low, viewing mezzanine.
Also, the stairs face the person entering and is more inviting. However, it also makes
sense to rotate the orientation and it will be shown this way in the next iteration.
16. The building should have a secured storage room to store laptop carts. Tom
mentioned that this would be a good idea to include in all new buildings.
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17. The group felt that the initial iteration of the plan diagram captured much of the thinking
and feel of what the Media Arts Building should be like.
18. Next Steps:
DLM will revise the plan diagram based on the review comments received. The revised
plan will be distributed via email to all attendees for review and comments
Next Meeting: TBD
Attachment:
First and second plan diagrams
END
Prepared by Erwin Lee of Deems Lewis McKinley. Please advise in writing if you feel that any of the above
items are inaccurate.
cc: Attendees
File
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