Santa Maria Elementary School had an existing campus which was over 40 years old at the time the design process had begun. The existing school was organized in a college campus style which had no interior hallways or gathering spaces. This was not conducive to student security and to energy efficiency. The buildings were also in terrible shape and had problems with leaks. Therefore, it was decided that the campus would be demolished and replaced with a new building that would be entirely air-conditioned. The budget was relatively low for this school, so the building was designed with economics in mind and a functional plan was of utmost importance. The building structure is pre-engineered metal building, with a standing seam metal roof, and a cavity-wall CMU construction for exterior walls.