James Lick High School in San Jose needed to significantly increase its classroom space in order to accommodate its growing student population. The 1950’s campus was densely developed. The only available site was located at the end of one of the axial paths through the existing campus, but was wedged between a drop-off area for students and a busy main street.
Making the most of the tight site, CAW designed a two-story U-shaped building that satisfied the client’s program requirements but also benefited the campus in other significant ways. The drop-off area was transformed into a new welcoming plaza entrance to the campus, so that students now enter through a secure gateway created by the new building. The building’s U-shaped design creates a new teaching courtyard, adding enormously to the central campus, which had offered little outdoor space for classrooms or for students to gather.
