LOS ANGELES—General contractor Suffolk is hard at work on a new elementary school for the Westmark School, located in the San Fernando Valley community of Encino. The so-called Lower School will focus specifically on students with language-learning difficulties.

The Lower School was designed by NBBJ. The 25,000-square-foot, educational edifice will entail 10 classrooms, a theater, outdoor play areas as well as a centrally situated courtyard. The design incorporates such building materials as tropical hardwood lumber, exposed lumber panels, formed concrete and other sustainable resources. Its structure will employ a cross-laminated timber (CLT) system, which will provide durability in earthquake-prone Southern California.

In a recent news release about the project, Suffolk Los Angeles General Manager Ken Summers said the project will marry innovative construction practices and sustainability.

“At Suffolk, we are well-equipped to navigate the changing needs of the education system, helping build, renovate and upgrade facilities that will be here to support students and faculty for years to come,” Summers said.

Suffolks, which enjoys annual revenue of $5 billion, also recently completed the 10,000-square-foot Child Development Academic Facility at Pierce College for the Los Angeles Community College District. Engineering News Record has ranked the firm #23 on its list of “Top 400 Contractors.”

The Lower School is scheduled to be open for the fall.

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ENCINO, Calif.—General contracting firm Suffolk is expanding the Westmark School, located in Southern California’s extensive San Fernando Valley. The school offers instruction to students with various learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, but was in need of an expansion.

The summer groundbreaking marked the first step for the private school’s 25,000-square-foot edifice, which will be home to 10 classrooms, a theater and an outdoor play area. As designed by NBBJ, the school will feature exposed lumber panels, hardwood lumber as well as various sustainable resources.

The superstructure for the facility will feature a cross-laminated timber (CLT) motif, which will provide support and rigidity in Southern California’s earthquake-prone climate.

In a recent announcement regarding the school’s construction, Ken Summers, the general manager of Suffolk Los Angeles, said that his team is working hard to provide a pleasant learning space that simultaneously makes use of eco-friendly construction practices.

“At Suffolk, we are well-equipped to navigate the changing needs of the education system, helping build, renovate and upgrade facilities that will be here to support students and faculty for years to come,” Summers said.

The project is estimated to be finished in time for the fall term of 2023.

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