PIERPONT ELEMENTARY
Ventura, California

Project Background:
Pierpont Elementary is a beachfront school in Ventura with a unique history and challenging site conditions. Four layers of asphalt and 18 inches of clay above beach sand are remnants of the sites previous use as a military base. For generations, the school quad was a blacktop play area with a map of the united states painted on top. Stormwater drainage was a constant issue with the low elevation of the quad and a relatively high drainage inlet. Even in the summer, standing water was nearly permanent in the low end of the quad, nicknamed “the lake.” Heat and sun exposure were unbearable on the quad for most of the school day. The school needed new paving, drainage improvements and shade.

In 2019, the cracked blacktop and trip hazards were replaced with a landscaped gathering space with universal access, a stage, built-in seating, trees, low water use shrubs and flowers. Each downspout outlets into a raingarden planter that quickly drains water due to the native beach sand below the planting soil. The quad that had been used only for full school gatherings immediately became a place to spend time for students, classes, teachers and even parents. The space is large and open enough to host all school events with parents and relatives, but also has spaces that work for smaller groups of friends at recess and for families to congregate at pickup and drop off. Response from the students, educators, staff, parents, neighbors, and the school district were enthusiastically positive when the school year started in September 2019.

Client: 
Ventura Unified School District

Scope of Work: 
Design, school district approvals and construction administration of hardscape, planting and irrigation, seating, and drainage.

Sustainability: 
Subsurface, weather-based irrigation, raingardens, native & native character plants, increased landscape area.