C.W. Driver Companies, a premier builder that celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2019, today commenced construction on a San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) elementary school, a $55 million K-5 school located in the Mission Valley area of San Diego. The 77,250-square-foot school will be technology-oriented and accommodate up to 500 students and supporting staff members. Construction is expected to complete in the summer of 2022 in time for classes to start for the 2022-2023 school year. The project will be the first K-5 elementary school in Mission Valley’s history.
The new school will be comprised of four buildings, including a two-story administration, flex-classroom, makerspace and library building; a one-story multipurpose building that includes a food service facility; and two classroom buildings featuring a total of 24 teaching spaces and a variety of indoor/outdoor learning areas with roll-up doors for maximum flexibility. The campus will also feature dedicated play areas for students.
“C.W. Driver Companies is proud to bring a next-generation, technology-enabled campus to Mission Valley, a fast-growing region that is experiencing significant development and expansion,” said Keith Kauffman, project director at C.W. Driver Companies. “C.W. Driver has extensive experience constructing K-12 facilities across Southern California, and we are happy to once again partner with SDUSD to bring this project to fruition.”
The school’s construction will be highly focused on sustainability, with all buildings featuring photovoltaic solar panels to produce clean energy. The K-5 elementary school will also aim to meet the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) self-certification requirements. CHPS evaluates metrics for healthy, cost-effective and high-performance learning environments including indoor air quality, energy efficiency, visual quality, acoustics, thermal comfort, water conservation and waste reduction.
Located at 7900 Civita Blvd., the campus will be at the corner of Via Alta and Civita Boulevard near the junction of State Route 163 and Interstate 8. It will serve residents of the Civita residential development – a mixed-use, highly walkable community that is currently being developed on the site of a former sand and gravel quarry – as well as families in the surrounding Mission Valley area. The new school is funded by the Proposition Z bond measure, state schools facilities funding and developer fees.
“With thousands of new housing units being added to the Mission Valley area, this new school will help meet the needs of an influx in additional students,” said Lee Dulgeroff, Chief Facilities Planning and Construction Officer at San Diego Unified School District. “Offering a variety of flexible and collaborative learning spaces, we are confident that the school will serve Mission Valley families and students well for generations to come.”
C.W. Driver Companies is partnering with architecture firm Domus Studio on the project. Additional C.W. Driver Companies projects for SDUSD include the modernizations of La Jolla Elementary School, John Muir Language Academy, Darnall Charter School and Franklin Elementary School.