Curtis School Master Plan

Los Angeles, CA

The Curtis School is located on 27 acres on Mulholland Drive at the top of the Sepulveda Pass. The school commissioned EE&K to prepare a Master Plan that achieves Curtis school’s mission, goals, growth objectives and priorities for the next five to fifteen years. The school’s goal is to keep the scale and openness of the campus, while providing modern facilities to meet the educational goals, for Academics, Arts and Athletics. The Curtis School has established a successful learning community and the master plan will continue to foster this community through the following themes:

Creating child scaled places
The Curtis School is an oasis for children in the midst of Los Angeles, where kids feel free to explore. The master plan will enhance what already exists to create a hierarchy of open spaces that define “academic neighborhoods.” Classrooms are organized along Academic Row; the arts are clustered around the Pavilion, the gymnasium is next to the playing fields & ball courts; and a ‘commons’ is created where the community can come together.

Supporting Teaching & Learning
The current campus has an appropriate scale and pleasant landscape. Better adjacencies of classes enable more time for learning activities rather than kids walking across campus multiple times a day. Outdoor classrooms will expand the learning experience beyond the building.

Engaging the entire learning community
The Curtis community extends beyond the campus’ border to include the families of the students. The master plan endeavors to engage parents by encouraging them to get out of their cars and interact with other parents and teachers.

Fostering a Safe and Secure Oasis
The “oasis” on campus and the sense of community is built on a perception of safety. The plan enhances this attribute by using overt and more subtle security measures.