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Rancho Sonado is an “Inside the Outdoors” venue in the nearby Santa Ana Mountains administered by the Orange County Department of Education designed to empower students, teachers, parents, and the community to explore the natural setting and expand their knowledge, understanding, and stewardship of the environment. Tragically, the site has been the victim of two destructive fires, and this project will replace what was lost. It will provide flexible space for instruction to untouched wilderness that lies magically, within 30 minutes of their homes. Pre-K-thru 12th grade served.

The most important design consideration was ensuring that when there is another fire, this facility will be protected. We adopted optimal fire resistive strategies beginning with providing defensible space. For the building, we are using concrete block structures with metal roofing. Narrow triple glazed windows and furred interior wall with rigid insulation attached to interior of the concrete block will inhibit heat from heating items to combustion temperatures within the building. The concrete block wall is designed with horizontal banding to blend with the site’s colorful stratified earthen layers and the roof system coloration approximates the red rusted metal of the local’s historical mine structures.