Da Vinci Charter Academy Innovation Hub
Davis Joint Unified School District
The Innovation Hub at Da Vinci Charter Academy in Davis, CA is the campus's new heart: a technology-driven facility designed directly around the school's vision to prepare students for a diverse, technologically advanced society. Where a traditional multi-purpose room would have served one purpose at a time, the Innovation Hub serves many simultaneously: a flexible assembly space for 350, a science lab, a maker lab, a 3D printing lab, a media classroom, and a full video production studio with green screen, all connected by visual transparency that lets students see what's happening in adjacent spaces and follow their curiosity between them.
Garage-style glass doors dissolve the boundary between inside and out, extending the learning environment into a covered outdoor lab and maker space. Flexible furnishings move freely between spaces to support project-based learning. The design process itself expanded participation—virtual community engagement drew a broader cross-section of voices than a traditional evening meeting would have reached.
Sustainability is built into the structure as thoroughly as the pedagogy. A rooftop photovoltaic array offsets 90% of the building's electricity needs. An all-electric HVAC system pairs with natural ventilation through operable windows and garage doors, and the CHPS Scorecard guided design standards throughout.
