Private elementary school in California completes 17,000-square-foot expansion

Gillispie School in La Jolla, Calif., has completed a 17,000-square-foot expansion.

The expansion, known as the “The Sandbox,” will enable students to blend subjects and support creativity, reports the La Jolla Light. 

Gillipsie School is a private school for students in grades pre-school through six.

The upgrade includes a new 7,000-square-foot building just north of the main campus. It houses a multipurpose room that will function as the school’s first dedicated theater space, along with a music room, a kitchen, a science and design center and classroom space that will eventually become a library.

The rest of the project includes adjacent outdoor spaces that contain lunch tables and a maker deck, along with a parking lot.

The "sandbox" will enable students to use their creativity skills and collaborate with teachers and will provide them with hands-on opportunities. 

The maker deck provides students with endless amounts of materials such as glue guns, cardboard and much more to encourage integration of subjects.

The space also incorporates a kitchen with counters and sinks at different heights for various age groups and will function as the schools normal spot for making hot lunches but also will be a spot for students to learn life skills and science.

Irwin Partners Architects designed the facility.