THE HIGH SCHOOL

Adaptive reuse plays a crucial role in modern architecture by reducing waste, preserving history, and promoting sustainability. Metro East Polytechnic a new age highschool that focuses on technical learning, located in LA’s evolving Arts District, embodies this approach by reimagining simple bowstrung truss buildings into a collaborative high school.

The design transforms two existing buildings by cutting, shifting, and digging into the site, creating a dynamic central courtyard referred to as the “agora.” This open, active space promotes constant movement and interaction between social, learning, and making areas.

Visitors enter beneath a cantilevered section of the building, stepping into the lively agora. This space, featuring ramps, stairs, and shaded seating areas, supports a variety of activities, including performances, gatherings, and outdoor study. A continuous ramp connects the agora to the basement level, where key communal facilities—such as the café, workshop spaces, library, and gallery—are located. Transparent facades facing the agora enhance visibility, natural light, and the connection between interior and exterior spaces. Exterior staircases lead to the upper levels, where classrooms and studios are accessed via breezeways that also serve as sun-shading elements.

Chunk Axon
Front Elevation Render
Basement Plan
Wall Section 01
Site Section
Truss Diagram
Model Elevation
Structural Diagram
Interior Render
Wall Section 02
Axon Render
Diagrams

The project emphasizes adaptive reuse by retaining and modifying existing structural elements. Roofs were raised, and the interior column grid was repositioned to create open communal spaces. South-facing trusses were tilted to provide shade, while north-facing windows were extended to maximize natural lighting. Sustainability was a primary focus, with innovative construction methods employed, such as 3D-printed molds for modular concrete components. This technique, inspired by research from the Block Research Group, reduces concrete usage by 70% and eliminates the need for rebar, significantly minimizing material consumption.

The building’s exterior reflects the structural design through projected lines that guide shifts in transparency across the facades. Depending on the viewer’s movement, the façade alternately reveals or obscures interior spaces, enhancing the dynamic nature of the building. Preexisting brick from the original structures was repurposed and integrated into new patterned elevations, further tying the school to its historical context.