An Early Test of Holistic K-12 Design

The multiphase development of TVT Community Day School was a seminal project in the development of LPA’s collaborative, integrated approach to K-12 design.

The relationship started in 1991, when TVT leaders purchased a 10-acre site in Irvine to build a K-8 school and establish a hub of Jewish life in the community. Working closely with students, donors, administrators and teachers, LPA designed the campus with four education “villages” forming a quad around a central multipurpose library and synagogue. Each classroom building featured a 1,000-square-foot co-lab space, filled with natural light and designed for collaborative learning, supporting new teaching styles taking hold.

In 2015, TVT tasked LPA with a multiphase expansion adding 10,500 square feet of STEM labs, fitness spaces and outdoor learning areas. LPA’s growing landscape, engineering and interior design disciplines played a pivotal role to develop flexible classrooms, acoustically absorbent “think tanks” and project-based commons to encourage collaboration, wellness and TVT’s concept of “joyful learning.” A green roof and visible water-conservation strategies make sustainability a teaching tool.

“Our core design ethos — a holistic, student-centered approach with environmental stewardship, outdoor integration and budget efficiency — coalesced around the campus goals,” says LPA Design Director Ozzie Tapia. “TVT showed how integrated design can transform a campus and elevate the ideals and values of educators for a more sustainable future.”

In 2020, the expansion was recognized with an Award of Excellence from the American Institute of Architects’ Educational Facility Design Awards — the industry’s highest honor for exemplary educational design.