A new campus portal balances security and openness, creating a new welcoming presence.
Active Learning
Designed to enhance curriculums for sports, music and theater, the final phase of Harbor Day School’s new campus completes a makeover that elevates the school’s learning goals, connects with the community and builds school spirit.
At the heart of the Harbor Day School campus, a new theater plays many roles, from hosting the K-8 school’s all-campus assemblies to serving as the venue for the beloved annual eighth-grade musical. Retractable seats, a full lighting rig, pro-level tech spaces and automated curtains help convert the vast space into a working production venue that makes Music Department Chair Joel Maki proud.
“I’ve been in schools where the music programs have to be performed in a multipurpose room that didn’t have theater in mind,” Maki says. “Having dedicated spaces like this really makes your program feel valued.”
The multipurpose room/theater is part of a second construction phase that includes a gymnasium, athletic fields, music classrooms, a commercial-grade kitchen and outdoor sports courts, completing a total redo of Orange County’s first independent school. On a tight 6.5-acre lot in a residential neighborhood, the new 99,292-square-foot campus links to Harbor Day’s traditions and heritage, while providing learning environments and cultural spaces to match the school’s well-established benchmarks for achievement.
LPA’s architects, landscape architects and interior designers were involved in the design discussions from the start of the redevelopment process, working with Harbor Day leaders and the community to develop a campus that reflects the school’s standards.
“LPA came in and really got to know our community and did their best to figure out what we were about and therefore what we value and desire,” says Angi Evans, Harbor Day’s head of school.
— Angi Evans, Harbor Day’s Head of School
FINISHING THE PLAN
The first phase, a two-story main school building, completed in 2022, includes 66,000 square feet of classroom and administrative space, a first-floor lower school, a second-floor middle school, a STEAM wing and a library. The recently completed second phase finishes the campus with sports, music and theater facilities tailored to meet the school’s programs and fit the constrained site.
Throughout the process, LPA designers worked with faculty and administrators to develop a construction plan that minimized noise and kept students on site as old buildings were demolished and new facilities were constructed. For years, through COVID and graduations, LPA designers and Harbor Day staff were inseparable, dealing with the issues as they sought to translate the school’s vision into the campus.
“We really came together over the years,” says project designer Stephanie Matsuda-Strand. “Our success was bringing all the programming to the campus on the small site.”
Campus life revolves around the inner courtyard, a terraced, multifunctional space that links the different facilities.
The second phase includes a new welcoming portal for the campus, a single point of entry that provides the most visible link to the surrounding neighborhood. Students and visitors enter the campus through an arch that spans the gap between the first- and second-phase buildings. And new signage connects the campus to the street.
“A sense of greeting was lacking in the old design,” says LPA Technical Director Chad Edgley, who worked on the project and grew up near Harbor Day. “Now it has curb appeal. It is a billboard for the campus.”
The entry arch also serves as a security checkpoint. A sliding wooden gate at the entry point can close and secure the campus. There is a separate entrance for theater events.
“From a security standpoint we are 1,000% more secure,” Evans says.
The active outdoor spaces developed in the first phase help tie the campus together. Campus life revolves around an inner courtyard where students gather before and after the school day. Native drought-tolerant plantings, such as red yucca, rock rose and foxtail agave, frame the entry and line the northern edge of the campus.
The 500-seat theater serves as a teaching venue, with pro-level tech, flexibility and a sound system that makes students “sound like Broadway stars.”
“We worked as a team to maximize programmable outdoor space and connect students with nature on both the ground level and second floor of the building,” says LPA landscape architect Danielle Cleveland. “We created outdoor spaces that bring students together, extend learning opportunities and provide a buffer between the school and the neighborhood.”
The athletic and music departments share a 31,655-square-foot facility. The gym is 5,505 square feet and includes storage spaces accessible from both inside and outdoors. Back doors of the gym open onto the hard courts, which include pickleball and basketball courts.
— Angi Evans, Harbor Day’s Head of School
Hosting a variety of sports and athletic events on site was a key priority for Harbor Day. The new sports field is permanently striped for track, soccer and football, and serves as the venue for the school’s annual Blue-Gold track meet. The fields use synthetic turf, reducing maintenance needs and adding versatility. Stormwater drainage tanks were placed beneath the fields.
“The functionality is so much better,” says facilities director Mike Coleman, who has been with the school for 42 years. “It can be raining, and as soon as it stops it’s basically drained and the kids can go on the field.”
Synthetic turf with permanent striping creates a flexible venue for athletic events.
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
The theater serves as the new hub for big events on campus, seamlessly blending together the various uses. Most important, it is big enough to host assemblies with all students and staff, just under 500 people, every Wednesday.
“That’s really a value for us, to bring the kindergarteners together with the eighth graders and all the faculty,” Evans says.
The space is equipped to provide students with hands-on professional learning experiences, including a sound system that “makes our kids sound like Broadway stars,” says Maki, the music chair.
The theater has already handled an array of community events and fundraisers. On event nights, the area around the theater becomes an open-air lounge.
The 5,505-square-foot gym is designed around flexibility and meeting the needs of the different age groups.
“They are wonderful, really thoughtful spaces outside of the theater for families to wait to go in,” she says. “Everything is just top-notch and lets people know they’re coming to something special when they’re coming to a Harbor Day performance.”
The newly designed campus has significantly boosted school pride among students and staff, Evans says. Students are finding new spaces to come together. Alumni have been particularly impressed with the school’s refreshed street presence, including a series of banners with the Harbor Day logo on the gym’s exterior.
“We absolutely love the campus,” Evans says. “If somebody says they want to see it, I can’t wait to give them a tour.”
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Read the Spotlight on Phase 1: Old Traditions, New Campus
