Griffin Enright Architects’ work on St. Thomas the Apostle School goes against typical notions that Catholic schools are housed in historic churches. The architecture firm was hired to design a new building that would house the gymnasium, art room, and library, but the Los Angeles school didn’t have too much space to expand. The team was able to more than double the area of the school while adding a requisite 100 parking spots, which was accomplished by putting the parking area below a new playground for students. With little space, the team sought to maximize architectural impact wherever possible, such as adding a modern, oversized handicap entrance ramp to the main entrance. The building is set apart from the original school building to still allow natural light into both buildings. Scroll down for additional photos.
