Transformed Logan Memorial Educational Campus Wins Orchid Awards for Architecture, Signage
Transformed Logan Memorial Educational Campus Wins Orchid Awards for Architecture, Signage
Oct. 11, 2022
SAN DIEGO - A newly rebuilt campus in Logan Heights is now an award winner in architecture and signage.
The San Diego Architectural Foundation (SDAF) has honored Logan Memorial Educational Campus (LMEC) with a "Teen Choice Orchid Award for Architecture" and an "Orchid for Signage" in the annual Orchids and Onions architecture and design awards.
LMEC joins a slate of award-winning San Diego Unified school designs. Patrick Henry High School’s Arts, Media, and Entertainment (PHAME) theater received an Orchid award in architecture in 2017. Hoover High School’s theater, classroom, and administrative complex won a PCBC (formerly Pacific Coast Builders Conference) Gold Nugget Award of Merit for “Best Educational Project” in 2021. Wilson Middle School’s campus transformation and Mira Mesa High School’s new music building were also nominated for orchids this year.
To be nominated for an SDAF orchid award, a facility must show respect and contribute to its surrounding community while also bringing a sense of civic pride, promote sustainability while providing a social and economic benefit to San Diegans, support community building, and be technologically or environmentally innovative.
The LMEC campus design was developed by BakerNowicki Design Studio - by architects Jon Baker, Buddy Gessel, and Young Abulencia - through a series of community input meetings involving school staff, parents, students, and surrounding neighbors.
“This award is a testament to the impact of school bonds on our local schools and communities,” said Board of Education Trustee Richard Barrera. “We’re providing students the learning spaces they deserve while bringing pride to historic neighborhoods in the process. I couldn’t be more proud of the work we are doing.”
Voter-approved bond measures have funded a Whole Site Modernization of LMEC. The campus design dovetails with the school’s prenatal-to-career public Montessori program – the first of its kind in California. The Montessori approach values a hands-on experience for students that encourages creativity and fosters independence.
The campus offers a child development center, known as “El Nido,” a preschool, an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. The high school, the first-ever built in Logan Heights, opened its doors to freshmen this year, with higher grade levels opening in subsequent years.
San Diego Unified’s capital projects are funded by Propositions S and Z, and Measure YY, which are local bond measures approved by San Diego voters to repair, renovate and revitalize neighborhood schools.
ABOUT ORCHIDS AND ONIONS
Orchids & Onions is an educational and fundraising program of the San Diego Architectural Foundation, a 501(c)3, nonprofit organization with a mission to educate and promote outstanding architecture, landscape, interior, and urban design to improve the quality of life for all San Diegans. SDAF sponsors public programs throughout the year, including youth programs, architectural tours, and community events.
Orchids & Onions serves to raise awareness and encourage practical discourse about the built environment, thereby effecting positive change and more thoughtful design.
ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO ARCHITECTURAL FOUNDATION
The San Diego Architectural Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with the mission to educate and promote outstanding architecture, landscape, interior, and urban design to improve the quality of life for all San Diegans. SDAF sponsors public programs throughout the year, including youth programs, architectural tours, and social events. To learn more about SDAF and Orchids & Onions, visit www.sdarchitecture.org.