Architects: BHNT Architects

Our goal for this project was to create a more prestigious setting for this well known automotive vocational school and to highlight its historic building while creating a dynamic new entrance on Kensington Avenue. A large and underused triangle of lawn space on the side of the building will become the majority of the school’s parking lot, with direct access to a new accessible entrance at the front of the building.

A new entrance court at the main door announces the entrance, accommodates students waiting for busses, and welcomes families and industry recruiters for events. The new court features a wide concrete walk with unit paver details, eight ipe wooden benches, and foundation piers to display student sculptural works. Trees and other modest plantings provide shade and soften the space between the building and court, as well as between the court and the street. The flagpole and the school sign have been relocated here as a means of announcing this primary entrance. The redesigned front entry will allow for a variety of outdoor events to highlight and display student work in a unique and stylized automotive setting.