Project File: Arts and technology center draws from artistic heritage

Notre Dame High School, Sherman Oaks, Calif., recently added a 35,000-square-foot Center for Arts and Technology to accommodate its arts and technology curriculum.

The $5.3 million project was the third upgrade of the campus, which was originally built in 1947. A 60-foot clock tower, an arcade with 22 arches, covered walkways and shaded courtyards highlight the design, which includes mottled plaster walls, exposed wood beams and ceilings, and terra cotta-tiled roofs.

The first floor consists of two art classrooms; double-height black-box theater with dressing rooms and box office; publications area with separate space for speech and debate; conference room; art gallery; and large music rehearsal room with smaller practice rooms and band storage.

The second floor accommodates networked computer technology classrooms; broadcast facility with two control rooms; and faculty resource center. A 120-seat lecture hall climbs from the ground floor and empties into the second floor multipurpose lobby.

Architect for the project is Notre Dame High School alum, Kip Kelley, of Nest Architecture, Inc. (Los Angeles).

For more information on these projects and others, visit www.schooldesigns.com.