San Francisco, California, USA

Marc Cavagnero Associates’ renovation and expansion project for the Hamlin School has transformed the campus into a fully sustainable building minimizing demolition and maximizing the re-use of existing structures to reduce waste and save material resources and the insulation at all exterior building envelopes above and below grade to reduce energy use

The new Hamlin School campus has recently been awarded a 2023 American Archtiecture Award and a 2023 Green Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

The Hamlin School has focused on its mission of educating girls to “meet the challenges of their time” for over 127 years.

The School is located on a steeply sloped site in a residential neighborhood of San Francisco with restrictive height limits.

The campus consists of 3 buildings stepping 65’ down a hillside while negotiating a 40’ retaining wall, all conditions which created profound site constraints and design challenges.

With separate elevators and stairs in each building, the connections between the disconnected buildings were unclear.

The retaining wall in the center of the campus created a physical barrier between the middle school and the lower school, fundamentally dividing the site into upper and lower sections.

The three buildings were constructed in three different eras and were not designed to support the School’s contemporary pedagogical ambitions.

And the undersized gymnasium was shared with the performing arts department, compromising both the athletics and the performing arts programs.

Work was concentrated in the interior of the site to minimize the impact on the stunning Bay views from the campus and neighboring residences.

The project expanded the lower school McKinne building by retaining its front half while excavating behind it southward up to the retaining wall, capturing new excavated space as usable area.

The new design stacked a large double-height gymnasium above a multipurpose arts space deep in the center of the site, conforming to the zoning limits and minimizing visual impact on neighbors.

The roof of the expansion forms a new terrace immediately outside the existing science classrooms in the Middle Building, creating new opportunities for natural science education and experimentation.

This strategy also consolidated the newly enlarged classrooms on the north side of the McKinne building where they take best advantage of the large windows, soft light, and views.

The existing classrooms were small and did not support the school’s project-based pedagogy.

Working closely with teachers, the classrooms were paired by grade level, with the youngest children at Level 1 ascending the building with age.

Each pair of L-shaped classrooms is connected by an operable partition and a shared project room.

This layout creates differentiated learning spaces to support different learning modes: individual, small group, whole class, and whole grade level.

The renovation also created a new, open, and accessible entrance at grade level, halfway between the first floor and the newly excavated lower level.

Where the former entry to the 1960’s-era building was awkward, cramped, and hidden from the street, the new entry welcomes students, parents, and visitors and connects to interior lobbies at levels 1 and 0, leading directly to the multi-purpose performance space and the climbing wall.

These lobbies are open and flexible spaces used for class activities, after-school programs, and as pre-function lobbies for the new performance space.

Some of the sustainable features of the campus include a computer-controlled building management system including occupancy sensors and daylight sensors to automatically reduce lighting and HVAC system energy use where not needed.

The architects have used highly efficient LED lighting fixtures and low-flow plumbing fixtures throughout the building, while insulated glazing with low e-coating reduces solar gain and energy loss at all new fenestration.

Additionally, operable windows for user-controlled natural ventilation and limit mechanical cooling to large assembly spaces to reduce energy use.

Project: The Hamlin School
Architectσ: Mark Cavagnero Associates
Design Team: Mark Cavagnero, Felicia Dunham, Anna de Anguera, Christopher Agosta and Tammy LePham
Project Manager: Pacific Union Development Company, Inc.
Client: The Hamlin School
Photographers: Mike Kelley