2011
Indio, CA
Design Concept Award
Projects in the Design Phase
Ruhnau Ruhnau Clarke

Desert Sands Unified School District
Ruhnau Ruhnau Clarke
Architects Planners

Community Environment: The new campus matches community pride developed over the school's 50+ year history. Past students characterize their experience as one in which faculty and staff truly care about their students and providing a quality education. Now, with this new facility, dynamic classroom environments combined with resource centers for student services and activities are better equipped to aid teachers in developing a rich educational experience.

Community Environment: With an existing Teen Center across the street and future city library planned for joint use adjacent to the site, this configuration integrates and showcases the new school, promoting community use aspects and lifelong learning values important to the District. The large, centrally located quad promotes school integration while other, smaller courtyards and dispersed food service areas allow for
'identity" spaces for the diverse student groups. These areas, in addition to providing a place for social congregation serve a more functional purpose as well- allowing for better supervision with students gathered in one general area and alleviating congestion during lunch hour by providing multiple food service options.
Secondary food service

Learning Environment: The 91 teaching spaces and classrooms are organized around departments to form learning centers adjacent to related departments and functions to promote integrated learning and sharing of ideas. These are then supported by faculty centers for collaboration and team building. The learning centers are arranged around a large quad and the smaller courtyards that feed into it to facilitate student access to services and activities housed there.

Learning Environment: The new design incorporates flexible spaces suitable for a variety of subject matters. In addition to standard core curriculum classrooms, the various classroom buildings feature science laboratories, lecture halls, various art studio spaces, spaces for agriculture and woodshop programs, a greenhouse, and fully equipped video production and broadcast studio for a more hands- on experience.
Agriculture Yard

Physical Environment The new high school is planned to be over 300,000 square feet, built in multiple phases to replace the aging, outdated facilities that would have been costly and problematic to modernize. The site is anchored on each on each corner by the
Performing Arts, Administration, Gymnasium, and Agricultural building. This allows each building required access to parking or field spaces and can be accessed by the public for events outside of normal school hours.

Physical Environment - Indio High School's new look will be anchored by a performing arts center with theater seating for over 400 people, whose glass lobby engages the community with natural North facing soft light during the day, and a glow at night. The design makes use of materials that reflect the surrounding desert environment and display school pride through integrated signage and graphics. The primary spaces of performing arts, gymnasium, library and food service all have immediate access for the community while providing security for students.

Planning Process: Indio High School has been designed in collaboration with the school district staff, the principal of the existing facility, and teachers at the site to enhance the established programs and culture of learning while providing the new facilities that will contribute the technology and flexibility for future success. Input from existing users was highly valued and is utilized on an ongoing basis. The design team also worked with the city of Indio in establishing a design that provides for joint use facilities to be used in conjunction with a city-run teen center located across the street from the existing campus and future joint use library.

Planning Process: Part of the challenge is to plan for construction while 2,050 students are still on the site. Utilizing existing campus structures and temporary housing on adjacent city owned land, phasing will help the school to continue operating with minimal disruption during construction and allow the new school to keep its current street frontage on Avenue 46.
1 Existing Site
2
Phase 1
Temporary School Buildings In Place
3
Phase 1A 1B
Performing Arts, Science Building,
Administration, Gymnasium, Parking
4
Phase 2A, 2B
Art Building, Technology Building,
Agriculture/ Woodshop Building,
Library, Main Quad
5
Phase 3
Play Fields, Aquatic Center, Parking
6 Completed Site
1
3
5
2
4
6

Submitting Firm :
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
Joint Partner Firm:
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
Other Firm:
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
Construction Firm:
Project Role
Project Contact
Title
Address
City, State or Province, Country
Phone
Architect
Roger Clarke
President
3775 Tenth Street
Riverside, CA 92501
951.684.4664
Ledesma Meyer Construction
Joe Ledesma
Principal
Palmae Business Center, 9441 Haven Ave
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
909.476.0590

Project Name
City
State
District Name
Supt/ President
Occupancy Date
Grades Housed
Capacity
Site Size (Acres)
Gross Area (sq. ft)
Per Occupant (pupil)
Gross/ net please indicate
Design Build?
If yes, Total Cost
Includes
If no,
Site Development
Building Construction
Fixed Equipment
Other
Total
Indio High School
Indio
CA
Desert Sands Unified School District
Dr. Sharon McGehee
Est. September 2012
9-12
2300
43.23
344,977 SF
150 SF/ pupil
No
Est. 19,000,000
Est. 61,000,000
Est. 2,700,000
82,700,000

Building 500: Art Studios,
Photography Labs, Broadcast
Studio

Existing Performing
Arts Lobby

Administration Building

Lunch Sheleter