360° views of Santa Monica High School Contruction Projects

SAMOHI: DISCOVERY BLDG ON SCHEDULE, LIBRARY REFRESH ALMOST DONE, PHASE 3 DESIGN CONTINUES

The Discovery building, still on schedule to be move-in ready in August of 2021, is now fully enclosed with a waterproof roof and walls. That means work on interior spaces can continue even if the rainy season lives up to its name.

Work continues on the Olympic-size pool and on sitework — such as paving and building sidewalks and staircases — to improve pedestrian and vehicle traffic and beautify those pathways.

When open, the three-story building will have:

• 37 classrooms and the M- and O-House offices
• Common areas and seminar rooms.
• Olympic-size pool (50 meters).
• Full service kitchen for the district.
• Indoor and outdoor dining areas.
• Two multipurpose rooms, one of which can be divided into two.
• A rooftop STEAM classroom and other spaces for projects such as aquaponic agriculture.
• Parking spaces for 251 cars, 173 of which are underground.

Library Refresh Complete
The library was refreshed with new floors, paint, fixtures, and furniture while students were off campus due to the pandemic. Early feedback from staff has been great.

Perimeter Enhancements
Also receiving good feedback is the work on making the Michigan Gate more inviting for students, staff and visitors.

New Field Joins New Track Surface
Completing renovations of the outdoor athletics area, a new turf field now joins the track that was resurfaced last year. Instead of crumb rubber iinfill, the new turf uses a cork infill that can help lower surface temperatures by as much as 30%.

Olympic Spur Improvements
With a lone water connection, the improvement of the area next to Olympic near 6th Street will be complete. A new configuration allows garbage pick-up to be consolidated to the campus perimeter. And, the Olympic entrance has separate vehicle and pedestrian entrances for improved safety.

Air Conditioning
A two-year air-conditioning improvement project is complete. New or improved AC was installed in the language and history buildings as well as the music, administration, business, English and art buildings. The gymnasia received new fans.

Barnum Hall Improvements
The last project of a Barnum Hall refresh is nearly complete with the installation of new acoustic curtains. Completed improvements include air conditioning upgrades, refinished foyers, and more accessible bathrooms.

Cameras and Security
The campus is now protected by perimeter cameras and a campus-wide electronic lock program. This is on top of our new visitor-management identification system, installed last year, that verifies campus visitors. A new clock system, along with a unified fire alarm and PA system will help students and staff stay safe and on time.






FUTURE-READY FLOORING: Above left, the floor is being installed over the top of utilities including electrical, plumbing and HVAC ducts. Routing these under the floor and not in the walls will make it easier and more cost effective if future educational demands call for removing or moving walls.
POOL: Above middle, the new Olympic-size pool is being built on the north side of the Discovery building.
STUDENTS GREW THEM: Above right, two sycamore trees grown in the last two years by students of the Samohi Branching Out Nursery are planted near the Discovery Building. The students have grown trees and shrubs that will be used throughout campus.

PHASE 3 TO BRING NEW EXPLORATION BUILDING FOR ACADEMIES AND NEW GYM WITH SPECIALTY STUDIOS

Project architects are currently designing Phase 3 of the Samohi campus plan, scheduled to begin construction early 2022.
The new Exploration building will include state-of-the-art classrooms for the following programs:

• Project Lead the Way/Engineering Academy
• Health/Wellness/Medical Academy
• Law/Policy/Government Academy

Existing visual arts spaces will be replaced with classrooms and studios for:

• Visual Arts — 2D & 3D
• Photography/Darkroom
• Multimedia/Film/Soundstage
• Design/Digital Design
• Pitch spaces and presentation and other gathering areas, including brainstorming commons, a portfolio production lab, and outdoor workspaces.

The south gym will be replaced with the new gold gym.
The new building will include:

• A two-court practice gym with pull out bleachers
• An auxiliary court
• Dance/Pep Squad Studio
• Yoga studio
• Fitness gym and a physical education classroom
• Generous support spaces such as lockers, storage and athletic office

The project also includes extensive site development along with the demolition of the cafeteria, history building, art building and Drake pool.

The south gym will remain in use during construction and will be demolished at the end of the project, which calls for the new buidings to be open for the 2023-2024 school year.
Phase 3 is funded by Measure SMS, overwhelmingly approved by Santa Monica voters in 2018.

Building Futures
Building Futures Winter 2021

Building Futures Archives
Building Futures Fall 2020
Building Futures Spring 2019
Building Futures Spring 2018
Construyendo Futuros Primavera 2018

Discovery Building Project
Notice of Availability of Draft EIR
Discovery Building Draft EIR