Mar Vista Elementary School PACEUP
LAUSD
Mar Vista Elementary School
Mar Vista, California
Project Overview
The Mar Vista Elementary School Playground and Campus Exterior Upgrade project transforms an asphalt-dominated campus into a vibrant, educational, and climate-resilient schoolyard. The project supports LAUSD’s Green Schoolyards and PACEUP initiatives by replacing paving with green surfaces, expanding tree canopy, improving outdoor learning environments, and creating inclusive, accessible play areas.
The design interprets the meaning of “Mar Vista” (“Ocean View”) by weaving California coastal ecologies—beach dunes, marshes, tide pools, kelp forests, and lagoons—into a series of themed play and learning zones. Through daily use, students connect with ecological narratives, experience nature, and benefit from shaded, health-supportive environments.
The project also supports LAUSD’s broader sustainability objectives, including achieving a minimum of 30% greening, 20% tree canopy coverage, and integration of stormwater and climate-resilient strategies.
The Field
The Tidepools - KinderYard
Kinder Yard
The project celebrates ecological storytelling through design. Each zone reflects a specific marine ecosystem—marsh, bluff, kelp forest, tide pool, lagoon, beach, and Channel Islands—integrating planting palettes, play features, and graphics.
This framework creates continuity across the site and provides children with sensory, imaginative, and educational experiences. The design emphasizes inclusivity, ensuring all students—across age, gender, and ability—benefit equitably from the transformed schoolyard.
Proposed Landscape Design
The Project is a Playground and Campus Exterior Upgrade Project (PACEUP) as part of the district’s larger “Green Schools for All” Initiative. Through PACEUP, a portion of the school’s existing asphalt paving is to be replaced with pervious surfaces including lawn and planting areas. Shade trees, low shrubs and groundcovers will be planted in these areas. The trees will provide shade mitigating the impact of urban heat island effects and a more comfortable outdoor environment for the students.
The Spanish translation of the school’s name - Mar Vista - and the multiple ocean and seashore references in the murals and artwork throughout the schoolyard inspired the landscape design. Many types of California marine environments are celebrated in this design, including Sandy Beaches, Lagoons, Kelp Forest, Tide Pools, Freshwater Marsh/Ocean, and the California Channel Islands. Each marine environment covers an area of the play yard and has its own distinct planting palette that conceptually mimics each ecology. These plants are appropriate for this school’s microclimate and are included on LAUSD’s Approved Plant Palette List.
The Lagoon - Reading Garden
Aerial View
Education Site Planning Green Schoolyard Ecological Design
Client
Los Angeles Unified School District
Design Team
Comprehensive Design - Swift Lee Office
Landscape Design -MIG
Civil Engineering - KPFF Consulting Engineers
MEP Engineering - Pacific Engineers Group
Structural Engineering - KPFF Consulting Engineers
Cost Estimate - Yuang Tai, Inc
Arborist - Carlberg Associates