This concept is a necessary step for gaining control of our campuses. In the design of Cesar Chavez High School for the Phoenix Union High School District, we looked very carefully at how to provide a safe and secure educational environment for the users of the facility. While many of these concepts are easier to incorporate into new school designs, we have been successful in implementing all of them for the same district in a school constructed originally in 1960. This breaks the 2,500-student population into groups that range in size from the freshman house of 650 to the senior house of 400. Circulation between classes is isolated within each house.
All classrooms have large amounts of glass in classroom walls adjacent to the corridors.
This design concept is an easy remodel for older schools. The teachers' center has a view into the corridors, allowing visual control during change of classes. Each house has exterior vertical circulation with a clear view to the common areas on campus, which eliminates any interior stairways where students can congregate unsupervised and provides maximum evacuation capability in emergencies. This can be difficult in colder climates, but open stairways can also be used internally. Administration has been decentralized, and small control areas have been designed in the academic clusters.