SCVi Charter School for International Learning

Client: iLead Charter Schools

Scope: Adaptive Reuse

Size: 20,000 SF

Completion: 2013

Project Manager: Richard Berliner, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, ALEP

SCVi is a K-12 charter school designed to meet the need of the growing spectrum of culturally minded parents seeking a well-versed education for their children. The school made its home in an existing retail shopping center. Berliner was hired to develop the center into an educational campus that enhances the school's project-based learning approach. To that end, the architectural design focuses on open, flexible classrooms that encourage interaction between classmates and grade levels. Architecturally designed objects, such as the serpentine bench or the formation of an artificial mountain ridge, define smaller spaces within the greater space. These spaces become gathering and reading areas, promoting collaboration and openness.

The design was created to maximize a Tenant Improvement budget to meet the school’s current needs and plan for future growth.