Construction Updates

With the external fence around the outside of our old academic spaces complete, the Circle has officially become a “hard-had zone!” The patio beside the gym has been leveled to make space for the kitchen modulars, which arrived on Tuesday. Meanwhile the construction team is also working on the first stages of the deconstruction by salvaging elements like lighting fixtures, plumbing, cabinetry and refrigeration units to be reused elsewhere. This careful process will allow us to reach LEED Platinum sustainability certification for our new campus. 

Meanwhile, Casti Village is filled with activity as we enter the second week of Casti Camp and the first week of Peninsula Bridge. Classrooms on the first and second floors are now in use; fresh lunch is being served daily; and pick up and drop off are happening underground. The Casti Village Circle on the second floor deck is in constant use for everything from singalongs to juggling classes. Students are in the library researching countries playing in the World Cup. And a  time-tested favorite activity—making friendship bracelets—is still a favorite. Meanwhile, employees who work year-round are beginning to move into their new offices—both in the Gunn Building and in Casti Village.

A few big updates from the entrance to campus: The lot in front of the Gunn Administration  Building is open for visitors parking again. Also, with the construction fences down, our seniors were able to take their college sweatshirt photo on the front steps. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the Truebeck team and our Castilleja Maintenance and Buildings & Grounds teams are working in tandem to continue to prepare for the year to come. Inside Casti Village, they are installing weatherproofing blinds that will shield us from both rain and heat when we walk down the halls; checking the AC units, vents, and outlets; and adding landscaping and flowers. And around the edges, they are securing the entrance gates and installing four outdoor EV charging stations for Castilleja shuttles near the Emerson Street entrance. Next time you stop by campus, keep an eye out for some of these changes. With the pots outside the Gunn Administration Building once again planted with red and white impatiens, we are ready for Promotion and Commencement. Castilleja spirit is in full bloom!

With the construction fence around the Admin Building now completely gone, we’re beginning to beautify Casti Village! The construction team has put in mulch by the Admin Building entrance, and now our own Buildings & Grounds team is working on landscaping. They’ve begun clearing the shrubs and stumps that accumulated by the Admin Building entrance while it was fenced off for the garage construction. They’ve brought in potted palms to the second floor decking of Casti Village. Castilleja also has a landscaping design plan in place: over the summer, we will relocate our beautiful greenery from our current campus to Casti Village, both in pots and replanted in new soil. Be on the lookout for our succulents, agapanthus (Lily of the Nile), Bird of Paradise, roses, camelias, and ferns as they make their way over to Casti Village after graduation! Meanwhile, Casti Village is beginning to look more and more like a campus because this week, the team put room number and name plates on the classroom doors, from Upper School Hub to College Counseling, Library, and more.

Now that the Casti Village construction is in the final stages, the faculty were able to visit in small groups to get a sense of the spaces where they will be teaching for the next two years. They toured the community spaces like the Middle School Hub, which will serve largely the same role that the Middle School Lobby serves now, and the Upper School Hub, which will be new because we don’t have a space like that on our current campus. The first floor also has shared Community Meeting Spaces, which will be reserved for indoor dining during Middle School and Upper School lunch. Of course, we imagine that students will continue to find places to eat outside as well.

You know that if you are working on the punch list, you are nearing the finish line! This week, the team was ticking things off the list: installing paper towel and soap dispensers in the bathrooms, touching up paint scratches, testing the wiring, and more. The first-floor art studios and science rooms are outfitted with all of the equipment needed to support our full program, and the makerspace and robotics lab are being built to meet the goals of Ms. Rigby and Mr. Gallo. There are Middle School and Upper School Hubs for gathering, and specific community spaces will be designated for dining during Middle School and Upper School lunch. Also, students can enjoy lunch in different outdoor spaces around campus. One more thing: the campus is not complete without student art! The crew left multiple shear walls for the students to decorate and make Casti Village their own!

But take your time getting there. If you enter Casti Village through the Emerson Street gate, now flanked by brick pilasters, you can walk down the wooden walkways treated with stain. If you’re the first one there, the motion-sensitive lights may wake up as you go. There are classrooms on either side, along with those turfed spaces to relax, and they are now ready for us to move in! You’ll also pass by the lift, now fully operational and inspected, along with an access ramp. You’ll also see the elevator leading down to the parking garage. Then, as you make your way up to the second floor, you’ll pass by more classrooms and a large outdoor deck, also covered with green turf. And there you have it, a brief tour of Casti Village! All that remains are a few more paint strokes and a punch list inspection, and we’re almost there!