Science, Dance and Music Center - Pica + Sullivan 2026

2009

Los Angeles, California

Science Dance and Music Center

OVERVIEW

The Science, Dance and Music Center brings advanced science education and the performing arts together in a dynamic new campus hub. Designed by Pica + Sullivan Architects for Windward School, the building combines specialized laboratories, classrooms, and studios while helping shape a pedestrian concourse that strengthens connections across campus.

An empty science classroom at the Science, Dance, and Music Center at Windward School in Los Angeles, a Pica+Sullivan Southern California educational architecture project.

CLIENT

Windward School is an independent school in West Los Angeles. Its commitment to collaborative, hands-on learning shaped a facility that supports scientific inquiry, creative expression, and meaningful interaction among students and teachers.

PROJECT SCOPE

Building Area: 14,000 SF

Science Program: (4) 1,200-SF research laboratories
Dance Studio: 1,700 SF
Music Studio: 1,600 SF

Opening Date: 2009

Certification: LEED Gold

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN GOALS

The design sought to create purpose-built environments for rigorous science instruction and high-quality performing arts education while extending learning beyond the classroom. Flexibility, collaboration, acoustic performance, environmental responsibility, and a stronger campus experience guided the project.

KEY INTERVENTIONS

At the heart of the science program, four research laboratories support chemistry, biology, physics, and middle school science. Separate classrooms adjoining each laboratory allow lecture and discussion to occur without limiting the laboratories’ use for sophisticated, hands-on investigation. Clustered laboratory interiors encourage teamwork, supported by teacher preparation laboratories, a special projects laboratory, and dedicated robotics studios.

The lower level is dedicated largely to the performing arts. A 1,700-square-foot dance studio integrates specialized flooring, lighting, and sound, while the 1,600-square-foot music studio—twice the size of the school’s previous space—provides a clear, resonant setting for ensemble work, instruction, and independent practice.

Exterior of the Science, Dance, and Music Center at Windward School in Los Angeles, a Pica+Sullivan Southern California educational architecture project.

A biology classroom with lab equipment, computers, and animal display models at the Science, Dance, and Music Center at Windward School in Los Angeles, a Pica+Sullivan Southern California educational architecture project

View of an exterior courtyard through interior windows at the Science, Dance, and Music Center at Windward School in Los Angeles, a Pica+Sullivan Southern California educational architecture project

An empty classroom at the Science, Dance, and Music Center at Windward School in Los Angeles, a Pica+Sullivan Southern California educational architecture project.

A teacher leads students in dance practice in a dance classroom at the Science, Dance, and Music Center at Windward School in Los Angeles, a Pica+Sullivan Southern California educational architecture project.

Students work and study in a science lab room at the Science, Dance, and Music Center at Windward School in Los Angeles, a Pica+Sullivan Southern California educational architecture project.

A teacher lectures students in a science classroom at the Science, Dance, and Music Center at Windward School for in Los Angeles, a Pica+Sullivan Southern California educational architecture project.

A teacher conducts students in playing instruments in a music room at the Science, Dance, and Music Center at Windward School in Los Angeles, a Pica+Sullivan Southern California educational architecture project.

OUTCOME

The completed center expanded Windward School’s capacity for laboratory science, robotics, dance, and music while creating a more connected and engaging campus. Purpose-built spaces give students the tools to investigate, perform, collaborate, and practice at a higher level, turning the building into both a place for learning and a resource to learn from.