Ira C. Massey Childcare Center at Rancho Cienaga Park

The first of a series of alternative schools designed by the firm for the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, Rancho Cienega provides classrooms for after-school programs. Children ages 7 through 13 are provided with a learning environment that offers a secure place for extended time instruction and after school tutoring. Located adjacent to park facilities and an indoor gymnasium, the facility fills an important need in the Title I program. To create a quieter place for learning, the six classrooms are arranged around a central courtyard. The outer walls of the classrooms become part of the courtyard walls. Classroom spaces are peeled back at the corners to create smaller courtyards for play for the younger children. Each classroom has a computer nook that opens into a quiet study yard. The central courtyard is set below floor level so that the space may be used as a stage and outdoor amphitheater. Access to the courtyard is through an administration center and expressed by a raised roof form that provides clerestory lighting.