After a year of construction, the first phase of the Pacific Ridge School expansion is now complete and ready for students and staff.
This first phase is the campus' new high school that will total 32,500 square feet and is designed in a semi-circular setting with 19 classrooms, four science labs, two reading lounges, a college counseling center, administration offices and an athletic field.
The Carlsbad-area school has been designed to reach LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Some of the environmentally friendly amenities include passive air conditioning methods, light shelves, Crestron lighting controls, solar tube skylights, solar shading and several other green building and site components.
As a result of the sustainable features, school officials said -- when compared to a comparable standard building -- the campus' energy performance is expected to achieve a 40 percent savings; potable water usage is estimated to be 30 percent less; and water usage is slated to be 50 percent less through reclaimed water, installation of a synthetic turf and use of drought tolerant plants.
This expansion is the result of Swinerton Builders, architectural firm Carrier Johnson, land use firm Hofman Planning Associates and construction manager Downey Associates.
This project is the first of three phases to improve Pacific Ridge, which has been open since 2007 with several modular classrooms.
These buildings will continue to house grades seven through nine, at least for the next eight years.
Phase 1's total cost is $20 million. The school has already raised two-thirds of the money from trustees, foundations, parents and other school supporters.
The first phase of Pacific Ridge -- a nonprofit, independent college-preparatory school -- has been built to accommodate 360 ninth- through 12th-grade students.
The second phase will consist of a new gymnasium and field, and is scheduled for completion in 2012.
The third phase will include construction of a new middle school, a performing arts center, a commons area and an administrative building. No start date has been set.
