The Gratts Primary Center and Early Education Center is a joint-use project partnering with A Community of Friends, who provides low-income housing immediately adjacent to the school. It will be located near downtown Los Angeles, north of 5th Street between Lucas and Hartford. The project is intended as an expansion of the existing Gratts Elementary School immediately to the north. Programmed at 32,761 square feet with 1.4 acres of play area, the Primary Center provides facilities for 380 students. The Early Education Center will be a state-licensed daycare facility, designed to serve 176 pre-school and early-school-age children.
The Early Education Center is programmed at 12,620 square feet and provides 13,000 square feet of outdoor play area for students. With a 40-degree slope from north to south on the 2.31-acre site, the project makes innovative use of multiple levels to create varied play spaces, including a protected play area on the roof of the parking structure for the kindergarten students. Play space is also provided atop the lunch shelter to increase the amount of area available. After-school access to the site by the local Boys & Girls Club is provided at the shared property line. This project was designed based on principles of California High Performance Schools with sustainable principles such as orientation, natural lighting, sustainable materials, and energy-efficient systems.
