By Jennah Pendleton | November 21, 2023
After nearly five years in the making, Mountain View Los Altos High School District administrators celebrated the completion of two new, state-of-the-art student services buildings, one on each of the district’s comprehensive high school campuses. Students have already begun to occupy the new spaces and enjoy the amenities the new facilities offer.
Both two-story buildings at Los Altos and Mountain View high schools, designed by Quattrocchi Kwok Architects, serve as central hubs for the schools’ respective administrative offices, student unions and student services, including academic support, community and mental health resources, counseling departments and college and career centers. Mountain View High’s student services center also houses four classrooms and a cafeteria.
In addition to serving as a central place for students and administrators to connect, portions of each building are designated for student use, whether for solo study sessions or eating and collaborating with classmates.
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 15, Superintendent Nellie Meyer recognized MVLA board trustees, staff members, the Citizens Oversight Committee, construction company RGM Kramer, Quattrocchi Kwok Architects and local taxpayers for all contributing to the new facilities.
“These facilities are not just structures; they are catalysts for inspiration, laboratories of innovation, providing an environment where curiosity thrives,” Meyer said.
Construction of the two buildings is among the most significant achievements of phase two of the multiyear facilities improvement plan funded by the $295 million Measure E bond, passed by voters in 2018, plus grants from the state.
Other completed projects in the phase include Mountain View High’s new auxiliary gym, three new single-story digital arts classroom buildings and the replacement of grass athletic fields with drought-resistant turf.
The final phase of facilities improvements will mostly be dedicated to modernization and repairs of existing buildings, including classrooms, libraries, cafeterias and gyms. Work on the final projects is expected to run through 2026.
Building features
The new student services centers at Los Altos and Mountain View highs are 25,750 square feet and 33,608 square feet, respectively, with the latter larger due to the inclusion of four classrooms and an entire wing dedicated to student mental health services.
In addition to the high ceilings and inclusion of the school colors in the design of each space, architect Mark Quattrocchi was intentional about how to design particular spaces in accordance with their use. For example, Mountain View High’s mental health services wing does not receive as much natural light, so he opted for ambient, indirect lighting rather than fluorescent overhead lighting to cultivate a sense of peacefulness.
Over at Los Altos High, dozens of students have taken to the communal space that boasts several kinds of seating, from booths and couches to an assortment of tables and chairs. At lunch, students certainly fill the space, but freshman Jessie Empedocles said it never feels cramped.
“It’s very open – and it’s a nice place to study,” Empedocles said. “If you don’t like one spot, you can always find another.”
Los Altos High juniors CJ Durand and Brisa Garcia-Perez said the new building has become their favorite place to eat lunch, because it stays a consistent temperature during hot or cold weather. They also praised the interior design of the entire building and the fact that seeing counselors is much easier now than it was when the counselors were housed in portable buildings across campus.
“The offices are a lot more organized than in previous years, and the college and career center is really nice,” Durand said.
Students have not only begun to enjoy the space, but are already re-creating it in their image. A student group lined the outdoor stairs with the colors of the Progress Pride flag using colorful duct tape, and administrators plan to have them painted permanently.
Quattrocchi said he was touched to see the students already making their own impact on his designs.
“This is why I love working in schools – kids take what we make and make it their own,” he said. “They bring life to the space in ways we would never imagine.”