Rosa Parks School Gymnasium

Location: Berkeley,CA
Owner: Berkeley Unified School District
Completion: Fall 1997

Rosa Parks School Gymnasium and Park is managed by a joint-use agreement between the City of Berkeley and the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD). Rosa Parks School offers public access to its play areas, gym, and basketball courts when school is not in session.

Features of Park and Gymnasium include:
• Baseball/softball field
• Soccer practice
• Multi-purpose turf
• Two Basketball courts
• Tot play area featuring tunnel, tunnel slide, arch climber, double slide, spiroslide, sand table
• School-age play area featuring two play structures with suspension bridge, slides, overhead bars, firefighter pole, and climbers
• Mini-Track
• Gym

Kava Massih was responsible for programming, site design, and building design for the campus. The elementary school was designed for 500 students with classrooms arranged around courtyards, a multi-purpose room, State-of-the-art Science & Technology Education Lab and Library. The campus is a well-balanced series of indoor/outdoor spaces of differing scales, allowing children control and choice about their environment. This project required successful collaboration with neighborhood groups and the community to met the needs of all parties involved.

Awards + Publications
Places Magazine, Winter issue, p. 6–9, Rosa Parks Elementary School. Berkeley, CA (Formerly Columbus Elementary School)