Originally founded in 1907, Castilleja School is the only independent, non-sectarian all-girls middle and high school in the San Francisco Bay Area. Located in the middle of a Palo Alto residential neighborhood, the school worked with the community to develop a master plan to modernize the campus and create new dynamic learning spaces while minimizing noise and traffic impacts to the surrounding area. A new swimming pool built below grade, service delivery facilities relocated below grade and drop-offs/pick-ups from an underground garage are proposed to diminish Castilleja-related traffic and noise in the neighborhood.
BFS designed innovative educational opportunities throughout the campus to study stormwater flow, water filtration, and the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Working closely with civil engineers, BFS is designing micro-scale bioswales that will treat onsite stormwater, which will be integrated into site walls and seating to maximize aesthetics and minimize impact to open space. To adhere to the City of Palo Alto’s standards for tree preservation, BFS is developing a comprehensive tree protection and replacement plan to maintain the existing tree canopy cover for the campus.
