The design for Playa Vista Elementary School (PVES) leverages a set of constraints from a rigorous program and a tight urban site. The program – 26 classrooms, multipurpose room, joint-use library, and play areas – relies on a collection of standard-sized volumes. This modularity was utilized as inspiration for the steel frame structure – broken by periodic braces for lateral resistance – exposed to the exterior along the length of the classroom building to facilitate learning. The serpentine structure maximizes natural ventilation and daylight for the classrooms. Landscape is striated into learning zones: vegetable gardens, meeting areas, outdoor classrooms, and water zones. This project successfully provides a different interpretation of District standards for mechanical systems, educational technology, recycled water, usable landscapes, classroom configurations, reactive energy management systems, and onsite energy generation.