Early designs for Upper School building renovations include a rebuilt Manzanita Hall, potentially with an underground parking structure, as the first phase. Construction could begin within the next five years, with a new Main Hall to be built in the future. (Courtesy of Brian Yager, Illustration by Jonathan Szeto and Leah Krupnik)

Administration has launched a long-term renovation of the upper school campus, with early plans proposing expanded, multi-story versions of Manzanita Hall and Main Hall to better support student life and academics. Construction is expected to begin in 2028 at the very earliest, but will depend on city approvals and funding.

Head of Upper School Paul Barsky hopes that these changes will address everyday issues faced by community members while maintaining coherence with other campus buildings.

“When I walk into the library and I see it’s very full, or when I see that it’s rainy and you all are trying to find a place to eat, that’s informal feedback for me,” Barsky said. “I sense that there’s a peaceful atmosphere around the campus and I’d like to be able to preserve that essence of space, both in physicality but also in time with the new renovations.”

The largest change planned in the renovation is a three-story structure that would replace the current Manzanita Hall. This new building may feature a dining hall that doubles as an event center and area for student life, as well as a wellness center housing counselors, the nurse and learning specialists.

The Journalism, Business and Entrepreneurship and Speech and Debate programs may also each receive specific centers and new rooms within the new building designed for instruction and collaboration, and underground parking spaces are under consideration.

Like Nichols Hall, which became the first academic building in Santa Clara County to match LEED Gold certification standards set for green buildings by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2009, all new buildings are likely to feature efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems as well as solar panels to maintain the school’s commitment to sustainability.

“One of the overarching goals would be environmental efficiency and making sure we preserve those places of nature on campus, like the Orchard or the Quad,” Barsky said. “I want more of that. We should also have places, little nooks and crannies where kids can hang out as well.”

Administration is currently finalizing building designs with Kevin Hart Architecture, the same firm which helped develop the Rothschild Performing Arts Center and Athletic Center. Head of School Brian Yager shared Hart’s unique capability to design a cohesive campus environment.

“Part of the architect’s job is to design buildings in a way that works within the framework of what’s already here,” Yager said. “We want the new buildings to functionally and aesthetically interact appropriately with the existing buildings. One of the reasons we hired Mr. Hart to be the matchman is because he’s already done these buildings, and he can design new ones that will work with the existing ones.”

With plans in place, the next steps include securing city approvals through conducting traffic studies and meeting with local residents to minimize the construction’s impact on the neighborhood.

Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives Joe Rosenthal explained how budget also plays an important role in determining expansion potential.

“We’re always trying to figure out what’s the coolest thing we can possibly build for students, but can we raise that much money?” Rosenthal said. “We could build a nine-story building that has the best things in the whole world, but we wouldn’t be able to raise that kind of money.”

While student tuition fees cover operating costs of day-to-day school life, from faculty compensation to classroom materials, funding for major campus buildings depends on donations from parents and alumni, according to Rosenthal.

“We’re very lucky that we have a very generous community, and they respond very well to the needs of our students,” Rosenthal said. “We’ve been very successful in raising the money for all of these different things that have gone on — even the Union campus, we raised the money to build that during COVID.”

So far, the blueprints indicate the location and general size of the buildings, but the specifics of what classrooms and new spaces will actually look like remain to be determined. Yager looks forward to commencing the design process once construction clears its administrative hurdles.

“We’d like to have that same level of inspiration built in with the new construction,” Yager said. “We’re not just replacing classrooms with new ones or the existing dining room with a new one, but making the new spaces frankly nicer and newer, and in so doing more inspiring — not just aesthetically pleasing, but reflecting the inspiring learning that can happen within them.”