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SCIENCE CENTER STARTS CONSTRUCTION

Construction has begun on Foothill High School's new science center that is planned to open this fall. The two-story building  will include biology, chemistry and physics labs, and earth science and physical science classrooms.
The project cost is $18.5 million, which is being
funded through the Measure G campus
modernization program. Measure G was passed
in 2002 by the voters to repair and renovate the
20 oldest schools in the Tustin school district.

KNA Consulting Engineers proudly announces tha Josh Randall has been promoted to Principal. Josh joined KNA Consulting Engineers at the time the company was founded in 1996. Mr. Randall is a licensed Civil and Structural Engineer in the State of California, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as well as a Masters Degree in Engineering. He has successfully designed the structural systems on numerous high-profile projects. Josh Randall, S.E. can be contacted at 9931 Muirlands Boulevard, Irvice, CA 92617, tel. 949.462.3200, email: jrandall@knaconsulting.com

CAL POLY STAFF VISITS KNA OFFICE

Allen C. Estes, Architectural Engineering Department Head and Linda Kristenson, Assistant Dean for Advancement, visited the new KNA office in May 2007. Mr. Estes and Ms. Kristenson were very pleased at the high percentage of KNA employees that graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

KNA MOVES TO NEW OFFICE

KNA Consulting Engineers moved to their new office in April 2007. KNA contracted the space planning and construction of office interiors to their specifications, utilizing state-of-the art technology and incorporating upgraded office interiors. KNA is the sole occupant of this beautiful 7.500 square foot building located in Irvine.

KNA RECEIVES BENTLEY EMPOWERED AWARD

KNA Consulting Engineers, Inc. received a BE Award of Excellence in the Building Structural Analysis, Design and Documentation category at the recent 2007 BE Conference in Los Angeles. KNA received this award in conjunction with their use of Bentley's suite of integrated RAM products in the structural design of Murrieta Mesa High School. For additional information - go to www.be.org

KNA DESIGNS RENOVATION OF HISTORIC AUDITORIUM AT HUNTINGTON BEACH HIGH SCHOOL

KNA Consulting Engineers, Inc. is involved with the renovation of the historic auditorium at Huntington Beach High School as well as the new Performing Arts Complex that is currently under construction and will attach to the auditorium.

KNA PROJECT - BEST OF CALIFORNIA AWARD WINNER

The $21 million Education Village is the cornerstone of National City's redevelopment. Education Village serves as a joint-use facility for Southwestern College and South County Headquarters for the San Diego County Office of Education. The Education Village received an Award of Merit in the 2005 Best of California Awards and was featured in McGraw Hills California Construction Magazine.

DEL SUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL UNDER CONSTRUCTION

By Blanca Gonzalez
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 7, 2007

Map of future Del Sur Elementary school location

Most malls are built for shopping, not learning. But the future Del Sur Elementary is designed as a two-story, enclosed-mall- type school to serve the fast-growing area west of Rancho Bernardo.

It's now just a steel skeleton of a building amid an expanse of dirt. But by next fall, students will start classes at a $29.5 million campus that combines the old-fashioned "schoolhouse" concept with modern design for energy efficiency.

Students will walk through the school entrance to get to their classrooms, much like shoppers enter Escondido's Westfield North County mall to get to the stores inside. Classroom doors in the Spanish-style building open to indoor corridors, and natural light comes through windows above the top floor.

SEAN DuFRENE / Union-Tribune Adam Pulido worked on the construction of Del Sur Elementary School, west of Rancho Bernardo, which is scheduled to open in August.

The design is the first of its kind in the Poway Unified School District and was the result of a weeklong symposium several years ago that brought together teachers, staff members, parents and architects. Teachers said they preferred a village concept so that all classrooms were more closely linked.

Instead of several buildings spread out on a typical California school campus, all learning areas are under one roof. The exception is kindergarten classrooms, which are connected but separate. All lower grades are on the first floor, and only older students will be in the second-floor classrooms.

SEAN DuFRENE / Union-Tribune The "front yard" of Del Sur Elementary, shown in this rendering, will be on the street instead of behind a parking lot, as with most Poway Unified schools. Luis Baradan worked on steel supports for the lunch shelter at Del Sur Elementary School.

The setup means better security, energy efficiency and more interaction among students and staffers, district officials said. Also, by going up instead of out, the campus has more fields and open space for outdoor play and activities.

The school's architect, Rich Nowicki of NTD Architecture, said it was designed to fit in with the surrounding community and its California Spanish architecture. Del Sur's "front yard" is on the street, not behind a parking lot as with most Poway Unified schools.

While two-story, indoor school designs are common on the East Coast, such schools are rare in Southern California.

"It's not your standard design," said Fred Yeager of the state Department of Education.

Many districts are trying to create more friendly environments where students feel more comfortable, and a mall setting may fit the bill, said Yeager, assistant director of the school facilities planning division.

Security has been a growing concern among parents nationwide, and district officials said the enclosed, compact design means easier lockdowns and more control over who goes in or out.

The 10-acre campus in the still-developing Del Sur community of Black Mountain Ranch will eventually serve 800 students. Classrooms will be outfitted with state-of-the-art technology, including interactive whiteboards that allow teachers to customize and use text, images and Web content for everyday lessons.

The whiteboards are connected to a computer and a projector and allow an entire class to watch as a teacher pulls up video clips or other information from the Web to illustrate a lesson.

About 200 students will attend when Del Sur Elementary opens in August 2008. The campus also will serve as a temporary site for about 400 Willow Grove Elementary students.

Willow Grove will open on the Del Sur campus because its school in the Santa Luz area, northwest of Rancho Peñasquitos, won't be ready until January 2009.

KNA Consulting Engineers, 9931 Muirlands Boulevard, Irvine, CA 92618, (949) 462-3200, info@knaconsulting.com Copyright 2008 KNA Consulting Engineers, Inc. - All Rights reserved