LAUSD Wright Middle School is a S.T.E.A.M. (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) magnet school where Berliner Architects has taken on the challenge of renovating two of their existing spaces to meet the current and future needs of this interdisciplinary school. These two new classrooms include an expanded Robotics Classroom and a new Flexible Engineering Classroom.

An important part of the visioning process for the new facilities included a half-day design charrette held by Berliner Architects with the teachers and students in the actual space to be renovated. After a group discussion, the students engaged in space planning exercises on architectural plans to better understand their future space and get insight into the field of architecture. During the visioning, students emphasized a desire for multiple-zones within the classroom to be able to have traditional, directed learning alongside teacher-approved downtime. In response, the design team planned for soft, informal seating in addition to adjustable height tables on lockable casters. Listening to the students describe the types of projects they work on, Berliner Architects hoped to highlight that enthusiasm through display of robots-in-progress. Instead of hiding away their designs, the design team chose to create shelving in display cases so that students could see what others are working on, both in active discussion during class time, and passively through the room’s decoration.

Photos and Video by Juhn Kwon Photography