Campus Master Planning

The Vision for Campus Master Planning

Foothill's campus embodies the mission as a safe, nurturing, and inclusive community.  Common spaces flow naturally from the classrooms and other structures to foster and sustain communal learning; these spaces are therefore open and strategically placed to inspire spontaneous gathering and interaction among students and teachers and promote an egalitarian, welcoming spirit. Where appropriate, campus pathways curve and wind to convey softness and warmth and encourage a slower pace.  The whole of the campus can be taken in from any number of vantage points, much like the way we strive to see the whole child in every aspect of our learning program. The design of the learning spaces features natural light and renewable materials, and prioritizes collaboration, individual attention, and flexibility.  Green spaces are abundant for play, gathering, reflecting, and taking in the beauty of the natural environment.  The campus serves as the location for a virtuous learning neighborhood; a place where all children feel a sense of belonging, a desire to explore and know the larger world, and a responsibility to serve the best interests of the whole community.

Since the time of our founding in 1954, stewarding Foothill has been the driving force of our Board of Trustees. In that spirit, the Board’s Buildings & Grounds Committee has launched a campus master plan process to ensure our campus facility—our greatest financial asset—is poised and prepared to meet the needs of the next generation of our students.

The master plan process will span multiple school years to include time to select an architectural firm to fulfill several priorities, such as surveying key community constituents for identification of needs; evaluating options, proposals, and priorities; identifying issues with traffic, parking, and pedestrian circulation; assessing current structures and utilities infrastructure; conducting space planning workshops; and ultimately, defining the scope of the project.  The outcome will be a multi-phase master facility plan to ensure a 21^st century campus that is a safe, sustainable, and state-of-the-art facility home to Foothill and Seedling students and employees. 

Important work lies ahead of us as the Campus Master Plan will be key to our successful facilities renewal efforts. Foothill’s Campus Master Plan is scheduled for completion by June 2020. We look forward to sharing much more in the months ahead!

Why do we need a Campus Master Plan?

The Board of Trustees is responsible for sustaining a safe, inspiring, and contemporary school campus that will continue to serve generations of Foothill students.  A Master Plan informs and guides the Board’s financial priorities to ensure the Plan is successfully implemented.

How did we pay for the Campus Master Plan?

All funds for the Campus Master Plan were gifts from current and alumni families.  Their generosity guarantees we will have a compelling blueprint for our future.

How will the Campus Master Plan be developed?

The Board has hired architects Steve Johnson and Jim Favaro of Johnson Favaro to develop the Plan in 3 phases.  We are currently in the Discovery Phase, where the architects are meeting with constituent groups throughout the school community to gather ideas and answer questions.  They will use the input from this phase to deliver a progress report to the Board in December 2019, to ensure they (architects) are on the right track with the early impressions they’ve gained from the constituent meetings about facilities priorities.