Exploration Building to be Completed in Fall 2024
By Addison Burns, Staff Writer
Samo is just starting phase three of its construction plan. The first two stages of this plan were the Innovation and Discovery Buildings. Up next on the project is the Exploration Building and the Gold Gym, which are planned to open in Fall of 2024. Both of these buildings will be located just East of the football field, next to the Greek Amphitheater.
The Innovation and Discovery Buildings were the first two phases of Samo’s new campus plan. The Innovation Building was a $55 million project that opened in 2016. It is a three-story facility that includes 15 science labs, 17 classrooms for math, English, social studies and language courses, eight prep rooms, a computer lab, an auto shop, storage space and six administrative offices. It also features an atrium with lockers, benches and decorative plants. The $155 million Discovery Building is the newest building on campus, which opened in 2021. This five-story, 260,000 square foot building features 38 classrooms, as well as many administrative offices, a large cafeteria, an Olympic size pool and a two-story parking garage. It was designed to provide flexible spaces that can adapt to changing education. The Discovery Building has already received a leadership award from the Green California Schools Summit and an Honor Design Award from the Westside Urban Forum in the school category. It also got an Honorable Mention in the International Architecture Awards, and is a finalist in the World Architecture Festival to take place in November 2022 for the education category. Catherine Baxter, the previous dean of students at Samo, helped oversee both the design, planning and timing of the construction of the Innovation and Discovery Buildings. She is currently working on the new construction phase which is the Gold Gym and the Exploration Building.
“One of the things that’s really nice about Samo is our tradition, but we’re not living in the past, we’re evolving and developing with all the positives that are happening in our world,” Baxter said.
The construction staff is on track for phase three of Samo’s new campus which is expected to cost about $120 million. The first part of this phase is the Gold Gym, which will take the place of the South Gym. With nearly 1,000 athletes at Samo, ample gym space is needed to accommodate them, and the two current gyms don’t have enough room for them. This new gym will have two stories; two courts on the first floor and another court on the second floor. They will have pull-out bleachers that will seat 800 people. The second floor will also include a dance and yoga studio with an indoor and outdoor workout area. Samo varsity basketball player Kalea Oshidari (’26) thinks that the new gym will be very beneficial to her and her team.
“Practicing outdoors can be a hazard with the uneven blacktop, not to mention trying to shoot a basketball into the sun is very difficult,” Oshidari said.
The Exploration Building is the second part of phase three. It will be home to the three academies: PBL engineering; Health, Medicine and Wellness; and Law, Government and Public Service. The other half of the building will be dedicated to visual and media art studios. The new rooms will be double the size of the current art rooms, which only hold about 20 people. Art classes will include 2D art, 3D art, digital design, digital media and photography, and there will be workspaces specifically designed for each subject. By the end of this school year, Samo is hoping to see glimpses of the new buildings emerging from the ground.
“I think when you provide spaces for teachers to be creative and innovative it sparks the joy of students to learn and develop to their fullest potential,” Baxter said.