This project consisted of demolishing the existing three one-story buildings and reconstructing Hart Elementary on the same site. The new school comprised a compact two-story building designed to be integrated into the existing neighborhood. The building typology is consistent with the transit of the surrounding neighborhood. The basic form is a two-story 85,000 sq ft. building with a student capacity of up to 600 students averaging approximately 141 sq ft per student. An added security feature which included a large 10’ concrete sound security wall was designed along the entire length of the back property line to separate the school from the traffic on Border Hwy. The site included space for site amenities such as a soccer field, 4 basketball courts, a new playground, and ample landscape space areas that were nonexistent on the original site. A space-saving element was incorporated into the design of the basketball courts effectively designing the basketball courts to serve as the fire access drive.  This “doubling” design element eliminated the need for additional pavement.