Marquez Elementary School | P2S
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New Frontiers in
K-12 Campus Design

Marquez Charter Elementary
School Rebuild

P2S, along with project architect NAC Architecture, is providing design services for the rebuild of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) Marquez Charter Elementary School, which burned down during the Palisades Fire. The new construction, budgeted at $78.1 million, consists of 56,229 square feet of new campus spaces. These include 24 teaching stations, a library, administrative spaces, and a multi-purpose room, as well as a kitchen area complete with student dining, a lunch shelter, and maintenance and operation spaces.

The P2S team is providing mechanical, plumbing, fire protection, electrical—including fire alarm and technology—and photovoltaic system services. The project is split into 2 phases. The first phase, involving an interim facility composed of 24 portable classroom buildings, 4 admin buildings, 2 playgrounds, and a library and food service area, is complete. The second phase is underway and will consist of a full campus rebuild: 5 new buildings on a 3-level hillside site.

Division of the
State Architect (DSA)

What is the Division of the State Architect (DSA)? 

The DSA is a California state agency responsible for ensuring that specific types of public construction projects meet rigorous state-mandated safety, accessibility, and sustainability standards. Review by the DSA is required for any project that has “school” in its name or title, including public K-12 schools, community colleges, universities, and certain state-funded facilities.

What does DSA review entail?

The key features of DSA approval include design review, plan approval, construction phase, and final certification. They assess for:

(1) structural safety, including seismic

(2) accessibility requirements for those with disabilities as required under the California Building Code

(3) fire and life safety

Notably, the DSA does not act as the project designer or builder, nor does it replace the role of the architect or engineer of record.

Preparing for Success
in DSA Certification

What is P2S’s part in the DSA process?

On the Marquez Charter Elementary School Rebuild project, as with many of our projects, the P2S team is responsible for DSA submittal, review, and backcheck.

Typically, after we design the project, our drawings get reviewed by the DSA. The process involves some back-and-forth between our team and the DSA to implement modifications. By the end, we finish with a set of DSA-approved drawings that then allow us to proceed with construction. All throughout the process of construction, DSA inspectors continue to come on-site, ensuring everything is built per the approved drawings. If specific aspects of the design must change during construction, we return for DSA review once again. 

Upon the completion of the project, the DSA conducts a full inspection, leading to a final DSA certification. This entire process can take years, with the initial DSA review process itself taking up to a year at times.

With the Marquez Charter Elementary School project, it was a one-of-a-kind case with the DSA. Due to the urgency of the rebuild, the District was permitted to begin the design of their own drawings to provide us with intent and begin construction prior to DSA approval. The P2S team, coming on board later in the process than usual, was tasked with leveraging our unique knowledge of DSA processes to ensure the design met code and DSA regulations for a fully approved project. Instead of a years-long process, our timeline began in February, and the facility had to be open by August of the same year.

The emergency status and the temporary nature of the facility helped us secure a temporary faster review process with the DSA – it was accelerated as a fast-track project. This required LAUSD and the A/E design team to speed up review cycles and manage prompt coordination with local jurisdictions and contractors in order to get temporary buildings and services online for the fall 2025 school year. The P2S team coordinated with LAUSD and LADWP to ready the existing site utilities and confirm the equipment was in good condition to serve as a temporary power connection for the temporary classroom site—all while allowing for simultaneous site preparation.

What drives P2S’s deep expertise in DSA?

Having successfully navigated the DSA process on a multitude of projects, one of our core areas of expertise is our explicit, up-to-date knowledge of and practical familiarity with the Interpretation of Regulations (IR) documents. These, intended to uphold statewide design, construction, and inspection criteria, provide clarification on a wide range of specific code requirements.

Advancing District
Design Standards

As part of the team’s efforts to provide innovative building systems that improve upon LAUSD’s current design standards, P2S, NAC, and LAUSD worked together on a multitude of improvements. The District thoroughly reviewed the alternative design enhancements and moved forward with incorporating these into the project. The improvements focused on, to name a few, upgrading occupant safety, enhancing fire resiliency for support systems and campus buildings, and incorporating modern learning tools. 

Yet another innovative aspect involved the electrical systems. The P2S team examined the site layout of electrical power and confirmed that a battery system could be eliminated, resulting in an economical solution that still upheld the highest standards of efficiency and dependability.

Each improvement contributes toward creating a unique and inclusive campus design that embraces outdoor spaces, energy efficiency, and campus safety to build a welcoming learning environment.

Fostering Real-Time Collaboration

The P2S team adapted our channels of communication to fit the fast pace of the project. Our collaboration with the architect and structural consultant deepened much more on this project. We sat in on coordination meetings together, making modifications to the design live with their expertise. Taking initiative to push for even higher rigor in our teamwork was crucial to keeping up with the compressed timeline without compromising the level of thought and detail placed into each solution.

Our knowledge of the coordination meant we could also find innovative workarounds in our methodology. For instance, we proposed temporary power and design in areas like parking lots. This way, we can build the integral buildings, connect them to new power, remove the temporary power, then complete these areas last. This assists in preventing any delays or contractor hold-ups that would require additional costs, not to mention enabling the school to remain open and usable until the final switch-over.

Steps Toward
Community Recovery

As the project progresses in Phase 2, the DSA has granted the P2S team a special exception: they offered a preliminary review of our drawings to facilitate a speedy turnaround for final approval. This allows us to jointly pinpoint what, if any, major aspects must be coordinated in the later stages of the project. 

Our team is immensely proud and honored to play a role in rebuilding a crucial cornerstone of the Palisades community. Prior to the fires, Marquez had served over 300 students in a close-knit setting and was widely recognized for its robotics program. Earlier this year, LAUSD officials gathered at the school to commemorate the progress achieved to date. This milestone represents both a meaningful step forward in the recovery of the local community, as well as the greater Los Angeles area, and underscores the ongoing resilience of the students and families affected by the fires. 

P2Podcast

Rebuilding & Uplifting the Community: Marquez Elementary School

In the latest episode of P2Podcast: Focused Solutions, we sit down with Shannon Hormozian, Electrical Design Engineer at P2S, to unpack Phase 1 of the Marquez Charter Elementary School rebuild in Pacific Palisades—a fast-tracked recovery effort following the January 2025 Palisades Fire for Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

Legence
Solutions Scaled

As part of the Legence team, P2S can build collaborative strength by emphasizing the breadth of services offered by affiliated companies.

CMTA, a Legence company, is a nationally recognized leader in mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering and high-performance building solutions. With more than five decades of experience, CMTA combines consulting engineering, performance contracting, and zero-energy/zero-carbon design to deliver sustainable, healthy, and efficient facilities that reduce utility costs and elevate occupant comfort and wellness. Known for its data-driven approach and commitment to decarbonizing the built environment, CMTA partners with educational institutions—including K-12 campuses—government entities, healthcare systems, and commercial clients to create resilient, future-ready buildings that align with long-term performance and sustainability goals.

Banneker Academic High School 

Link: https://www.cmta.com/results/case-studies/dcps-banneker

CMTA partnered with DC Public Schools to deliver the District’s first Zero Energy high school in Washington, D.C. This 178,000 SF, state-of-the-art learning facility not only provides expansive modern educational spaces for ~800 students but also meets ambitious sustainability goals — achieving LEED Platinum and targeting WELL certification while significantly reducing carbon emissions and energy costs. CMTA’s high-performance MEP design helped the school operate more efficiently than its modeled performance, making it a national leader in sustainable K-12 design.

Photo Courtesy: CMTA

Memorial Elementary School

Link: https://www.cmta.com/results/case-studies/memorial-elementary-school

In Hart County, Kentucky, CMTA revitalized Memorial Elementary School — a historic 1943 facility — through an Energy Savings Performance Contract that modernized building systems while preserving architectural character. The project replaced legacy HVAC and lighting systems with high-efficiency solutions, dramatically improving energy performance and indoor environmental quality. Upon completion in 2023, the school transformed from one of the district’s highest energy users to its most efficient building, delivering strong utility savings and a healthier learning environment.

Photo Courtesy: CMTA

To see more CMTA K-12 projects, visit their website.

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