Palisades Charter High School - Temporary Relocation

In January 2025, the Palisades Fire tore through Pacific Palisades, destroying the Palisades Charter High School. Over 2,400 students and staff were displaced, with no campus to return to. The community urgently needed a solution that would restore in-person learning before the end of the school year. The answer came in the form of a vacant, 105,000-square-foot 1947 Sears building in downtown Santa Monica. Under a design-build delivery method, A.J. Kirkwood & Associates (AJK) was tasked with providing full electrical and low-voltage systems for a fast-tracked conversion into a fully functioning, code-compliant school in just five weeks.

Our scope included complete electrical distribution, lighting, lighting controls, emergency egress, fire alarm, low-voltage systems, Wi-Fi, IT infrastructure, and HVAC connections across 93 classrooms on four floors, plus full power and life safety for seven exterior restroom trailers.

Through precise planning, strong field leadership, and an unwavering commitment to the project’s mission, AJK delivered on time, under budget, and without a single recordable safety incident.

Location

Santa Monica, CA

Build Partners

C.W. Driver

Gensler

Size

105,000 sq. ft.