CASH/AIA California Honors LPA With Design and Leadership Awards

At CASH’s 47th Annual Conference on School Facilities, LPA Design Studios won two key awards for design, and Darcie Gumbayan, a leader at LPA, was recognized for her advocacy and leadership.

IRVINE, Calif., March 2, 2026 — LPA earned three top honors at the 2026 Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH)/American Institute of Architects California Leroy F. Greene Design and Planning Awards ceremony. Each recognition highlights the firm’s leadership in helping shape California’s education infrastructure.

Two LPA projects won awards celebrating standout work committed to advancing school facility design and master planning. The Frances Grice Cardinal Child Development Center in San Bernardino, Calif., received an Award of Excellence in the New Built category for its thoughtful approach to early learning spaces. Davis Senior High School’s STEM building in Davis, Calif., meanwhile, earned an Award of Honor in the New Built category for creating collaborative environments that support hands-on, interdisciplinary education. Adding these two new recognitions, LPA has won 50 CASH/AIA CA design awards since 1991.

The awards program also celebrated the contributions of LPA’s Darcie Gumbayan by presenting her with a Gene Hartline Member Service Award for advocacy and leadership in California school facilities.

“Recognition like this is meaningful, but it has never been the objective. Our focus is on solving complex challenges, creating dynamic environments and investing in facilities that positively impact students,” said Kate Mraw, LPA Director of K‑12. “These outcomes are made possible through the trust and partnership of our clients. This award represents what can happen when an interdisciplinary team aligns around a shared purpose.”

Frances Grice Cardinal Child Development Center, San Bernardino City Unified School District — Award of Excellence, Leroy F. Greene Design and Planning Awards, New Built category

The LEED Platinum–certified Frances Grice Cardinal Child Development Center in the heart of San Bernardino is designed as an urban oasis for young students who attend the school. The facility sits on land previously used by a high school, filled with mature trees that became the inspiration for the school’s design. It’s part of the San Bernardino City Unified School District’s efforts to bring world-class early childhood education, including infant, preschool and transitional kindergarten, to students from a wide range of economic backgrounds. Since launching, Cardinal has become a symbol of resilience and success for the district, which views it as a blueprint for a new era of more expressive, nature-based learning. To that end, the building design draws direct inspiration from nature, and open-ended play is encouraged at every turn to bolster childhood development.

Davis Senior High School STEM building, Davis Joint Unified School District — Award of Honor, Leroy F. Greene Design and Planning Awards, New Built category

LPA transformed underutilized tennis courts on Davis Senior High School’s campus into a 37,000‑square‑foot, two‑story STEM facility designed to promote collaboration and interdisciplinary learning. The project intentionally blurs the boundaries between STEM subjects, creating flexible environments that can support diverse disciplines and different modalities of learning. For the building’s exterior, the team modeled site drainage and energy use to inform development of the distinctive roof, which channels stormwater and bounces indirect light into the interior. Exterior sun-shading helps balance daylight and solar heat, reducing energy use while contributing to the facility’s distinctive, welcoming presence on campus.

Darcie Gumbayan — Gene Hartline Member Service Award

Darcie leads LPA’s Project Services department for education projects, overseeing the quality, policy, funding and state agency approval processes. She is a driven professional advocating for better project outcomes in K-12 and higher education. Darcie is also a 2023 graduate of the CASH School Facilities Leadership Academy, and has served on CASH’s Annual Conference Planning Committee, Legislative Advisory Committee and the Maintenance, Sustainability & Environmental Committee.