Sustainable Learning Environments and Community-Centered Design

For decades, CAW Architects has been at the forefront of redefining California’s educational facilities, creating award-winning designs that foster accessibility, inclusion, and inspiration for students of all ages. From elementary schools to university campuses, CAW is dedicated to ensuring that every student has equal access to well-designed learning spaces.

Silver Creek High School
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

The firm’s portfolio includes the first two LEED Platinum-certified K-12 public school buildings in the Bay Area, a Net-Zero Energy Master Plan for a comprehensive public high school in Oakland, and campus revitalization efforts at Stanford University, supporting its carbon-neutral and 100% renewable energy goals. Research has consistently shown a strong correlation between student performance and the quality of their built environment, a principle that CAW integrates into every project. 

Berkeley Community Theater

Built in 1950, Berkeley High School’s Building A houses the 3,500-seat Community Theater and the 560-seat Florence Schwimley Theater, serving as the hub for the school’s Visual and Performing Arts programs. While the Art Deco-style building holds historic significance, its interior had deteriorated over decades, with cramped classrooms and outdated facilities failing to meet modern educational and community needs. CAW Architects developed a long-term renovation plan to revitalize the theater building, ensuring a safe, accessible, and vibrant environment for performing arts students and the surrounding community. The project includes seismic retrofitting, upgraded building systems, and the creation of new classrooms and rehearsal spaces for music, drama, dance, and stagecraft. The firm is now working on the renovation of the Florence Schwimley Theater and a redesigned entrance to further modernize Building A.

Berkeley Community Theater
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

Berkeley Community Theater
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

Berkeley Community Theater
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

Berkeley Community Theater
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

Monterey High School Science Innovation Center

Strategically located on a hillside overlooking Monterey Bay, this two-story, 12,500-square-foot facility integrates outdoor learning spaces throughout the campus. Large folding doors seamlessly connect the interior classrooms with outdoor plazas, allowing the space to function as a flexible indoor-outdoor community hub. In addition to four new classrooms, the project enhances security, improves accessibility, and fosters collaboration through shared gathering spaces. The project has been widely praised for its innovative design and sustainable approach to education.

Monterey High School Science Innovation Center
Photo credit: Bruce Damonte

Monterey High School Science Innovation Center
Photo credit: Bruce Damonte

Monterey High School Science Innovation Center
Photo credit: Bruce Damonte

Monterey High School Science Innovation Center
Photo credit: Bruce Damonte

Monterey High School Science Innovation Center
Photo credit: Bruce Damonte

Silver Creek High School

A new campus entrance and feature building now serve as the focal point for Silver Creek High School, offering both architectural distinction and enhanced student experience. The street-facing side of the building features a dynamic interplay of windows and sunshades, while the campus-facing side opens to a new plaza with a 40-foot-wide sliding door for indoor-outdoor learning and events. The two-story atrium at the building’s center functions as a student gathering space, integrating large open areas with smaller balcony perches for study and collaboration. A grand staircase serves as both a visual and functional centerpiece, connecting the classrooms, all of which feature large garage doors that open into the atrium. This design fosters flexibility and openness, redefining the modern high school environment.

Silver Creek High School
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

Silver Creek High School
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

Silver Creek High School
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

Silver Creek High School
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

Corte Madera School

CAW Architects’ redesign of Corte Madera School spans two acres and includes two new buildings totaling 20,545 square feet. The project incorporates energy-efficient systems to minimize the school’s environmental footprint, with a goal of achieving LEED Silver certification. The new campus features a dedicated STEAM Center, art and science classrooms, an outdoor deck overlooking the community-maintained “Frog Pond,” a student-designed playground, and an amphitheater with a stage—creating dynamic, flexible learning environments that encourage creativity and collaboration.

Corte Madera School
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

Corte Madera School
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

Corte Madera School
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

Corte Madera School
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

Corte Madera School
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

Ormondale Elementary School

The newly designed 8,891-square-foot Ormondale Elementary campus emphasizes sustainability and immersive learning. Modern classrooms for art, music, and science are arranged around a transformed central courtyard, which now features an interactive sensory garden that stimulates learning through scents and colors from native plants and fruit trees. Natural lighting and scenic views are maximized to create a calm and engaging environment for young learners, while energy-efficient systems and solar design support the school’s goal of achieving LEED Silver certification.

Ormondale Elementary School
Photo credit: Caitlin Atkinson

Ormondale Elementary School
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

Ormondale Elementary School
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

Ormondale Elementary School
Photo credit: Marco Zecchin

Monterey High School Science Innovation Center
Photo credit: Bruce Damonte

About CAW Architects

CAW Architects, based in San Francisco and Palo Alto, is dedicated to designing educational and community-focused architecture that fosters social change. The firm specializes in creating vibrant, functional spaces that support learning and revitalizing historic buildings with thoughtful, modern interventions.