The 357,651 SF, multi-phase Alhambra High School Redevelopment Program teamed DWL—the original facility architect—with the Phoenix Union High School District, school administration and selected general contractors to transform the entire campus into a learning environment for the 21st century. The school’s educational operations and program requirements necessitated the establishment of a construction sequencing plan that would support concurrent occupancy while ensuring work was completed with minimal disruption to ongoing student activities.

The project, phased in nine sections, featured multiple bid package submittals for multiple contractors on each phase. Work progressed from one end of the campus to the other and revitalized administration, classrooms, laboratories, specialty programs, library, cafeteria, auditorium and athletic facilities.

The design effectively shifted the face of Alhambra High School, reorienting the entire front entry to the campus and all its functions ninety degrees to an adjacent street. This was accomplished through the renovation of existing structures and with minimal demolition. In the process, programs were consolidated and moved to easily-accessible locations; outdoor plazas were added, inviting students to dine, study and socialize in alternate settings; and formerly cramped, dark corridors were converted to airy, light breezeways.