On October 23, the Gompers / LPS-Richmond project celebrated its groundbreaking. Since 2003, LPS-Richmond (Leadership Public Schools), a charter high school, has occupied space on West Contra Costa USD’s Gompers Continuation High School campus. When the state deemed the site a Tier 1 priority for seismic rehabilitation, the two schools combined resources to develop a joint project for a shared campus on the existing site. The campus is planned to include classroom buildings and outdoor space for each school, along with a shared gymnasium and health clinic.

The school’s location in the Iron Triangle–an area of Richmond that ranks among the most violent in the state–made creating safe and supportive environment for students and faculty a key factor. To create an effective response to the neighborhood challenges, the design for the buildings and campus followed three guiding principles: urbanity, civility, and sustainability. The design team merged these principles with the concept of a “geode,” an object that appears hard on the outside, but that opens up to light and space on the inside. Exterior materials and imagery communicate permanence, quality, and respect for the city. The interiors are attractive, sturdy, and inviting.

The 26,400-SF project sits on a 3.1-acre site. When complete, it will accommodate 300 Gompers students and 585 LPS-Richmond students. Construction is expected to be complete in December 2014.