Designs with class

IN response to “Lessons Unlearned” [Oct. 2] by Christopher Hawthorne: Clearly, the Los Angeles Unified School District’s building campaign lacks a creative chief facilities executive who can vouch for promising and innovative school designs. Aside from a few outstanding ones, most of the new schools look like governmental institutions.

They do not have to be these generic cookie-cutter, stucco-covered boxes. Each new school that is built should respond to the unique character and vitality of the community in which it is built. Budgetary constraints should also not be an impediment for good school design. The city of Los Angeles’ branch library construction program is a great case study of how cutting-edge and innovative projects can be realized with small budgets.

EDGAR SANDOVAL

San Fernando