The Manteca Unified School District (MUSD) celebrated a major transformation of its East Union High School campus in Manteca, California, just south of Stockton. The $65 million project, designed by HMC Architects, includes a 68,000 SF two-story classroom building housing 29 classrooms, a media center, a student store, and featuring a large exterior gathering staircase. The project also includes a new main student courtyard, a new auxiliary gym, an aerobics/wrestling room, a weight room, a fully-equipped agricultural center, and an upgraded athletic stadium. As part of this transformative project, the campus front entrance and parking were reimagined.

Input from faculty, staff, and students was instrumental in ensuring the design team understood how the classroom building and other components would function day-to-day, and the idea of “student ownership” was a key driver of the design. The interior design of the classroom building features upscale finishes and stylish, flexible furniture, contributing to a collegiate feel that encourages a sense of place for students and inspires school pride.

The classroom building’s layout and location within the existing campus create multiple quad spaces that include outdoor learning areas, gathering areas, a large, sloped lawn, a stage, and multiple custom shade structures throughout. The building forms a campus perimeter along the western edge of campus (Union Road), providing security and forming key interior gathering spaces.

At the dedication, speakers from the district included Superintendent Dr. Clark Burke, MUSD board President Stephen Schluer, Student board member Annette DuBois, and Director of Facilities and Operations Aaron Bowers. HMC Architects team members attending included Mike Rath, Suzanne Sasaki-Hartstein, Riley Peck, Fernanda Cardenas Alfaro, and Carlos Martinez Horta. They were joined by retired HMC principal architect Tim DeWitt, who was instrumental in the successful design vision for the project. Not attending, but key to the delivery of this campus transformation were project manager Chad Cover and job captain Elizabeth Luzi.

Team members from Contractor C.T. Brayton were also in attendance. Brayton is a longstanding partner with the district. Several speakers at the event noted the significance of this major project, and the impact it will have on generations of Manteca students.