In the Bay Area, San Francisco’s University High School tapped LEDDY MAYTUM STACY Architects (LMSA) for the private school’s first ground-up project. Named the California Street Campus, the building expands the school’s existing four-building plot. The extension, completed in the summer of 2025, responded to the institution’s needs to address its growing student population, centralize its STEM programming, and update its athletic facilities.
The street-facing structure rises 3 stories tall and encompasses 48,000 square feet in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. LMSA contracted with Truebeck Construction to target a net-zero energy and LEED Platinum–certified building. IN SITU was responsible for the landscape scheme, which involved greening the streetscape and the building’s courtyards.
Previously, a 1940s strip mall occupied the lot where the new campus stands today. The firm said its building “adds density to an underused urban site, provides a public face for the campus on a transit-rich, mixed-use street, and enriches the public life of the block.”
At street level, cement planters form barricades between the building and the city.
Sustainability, driven by educational and instructional outcomes, was put on the forefront of the new construction’s design. Previously, science labs and STEM classes were spread across the High School’s four other buildings, and often relegated to basements. Following the extension by LMSA, STEM classrooms are now located on the building’s top floor, allowing for naturally daylit spaces.
The availability and opportunity of light was top of mind for the school. Upon entering the main lobby and entry on the ground floor, students are immediately funneled to an upstairs common area with floor-to-ceiling windows.
A 200-kilowatt solar array caps the building. The panels extend out from the roof, doubling as awnings that shade the rooftop terrace and courtyard. A cistern within the site also collects and reuses rainwater.
The largest space within the building is on the first floor, a 10,500-square-foot gym. Named the Bessolo Family Pavilion, it holds double-height ceilings for multiple practice courts with a collegiate-level competition court that can accommodate seating for 600. It also serves as a multipurpose space for spirit rallies and convocation.
“More than just a building, the California Street Campus reflects our enduring values and aspirations—a purposeful space that aligns physical design with academic vision, elevates student life, and creates new pathways for community engagement,” Interim Head of School Nasif Iskander said.
