John O'Connell Technical High School

This Career Technical Facility is a new, freestanding 2500 sf shop building. This building is meant to serve as a prototype for SFUSD’s Tech21 program, which reintroduces technical education to the curriculum. The design accentuates the flexible, with an open teaching space, retractable overhead power reels, and an enclosed outdoor work area. The metal paneled exterior contrasts with the interior, where different woods (plywood, OSB and mdf) are showcased as wall finishes and also provide a capable backing to install shelving and benches. The roof angle is optimized to allow maximum performance of the solar panels, which in turn provide up to 75% of the power for the building. Skylights are used to capture northern light, and preserve wall space for lumber and tool storage. A large barn door constructed of reclaimed local oak, and a rainwater collection system complete the exterior.