O.C. School Rises to Meet Need With 2-Story Portable Buildings

After years of using temporary classrooms, one Orange County public school district has concluded that “portables” have nowhere to go but up.

The county’s first double-decker movable buildings are now open at Las Flores Middle School. But the name should fool anyone because the buildings barely resemble their trailer predecessors.

Grouped in a horseshoe around a courtyard, the three Las Flores buildings have elevators, two sets of stairs and concrete foundations. Equipped with air conditioners, wired for technology and connected to the school’s public address system, the buildings house 18 classrooms where eight of the old-style portables used to be.

The addition of buildings that can be relocated was necessary to absorb an influx of students into the Capistrano Unified School District. One of the state’s fastest-growing school systems, it admits about 2,000 new students a year. The district is also building new schools.

The project’s prime advantage is adding capacity without gobbling up playground and parking space, Supt. James A. Fleming said.

“It gives us the space we need without encroaching on parking and public areas, which has long been a problem in growing communities,” Fleming said. “Rather than going out, we’ll go up.”

Recently given the state architect’s seal of approval, two-story portable classrooms are drawing interest across the state--from Northern California to the sprawling Los Angeles Unified School District. They are particularly popular in urban areas, where land is hard to come by.

Capistrano officials are planning to use double-decker portables at other crowded schools, including Shorecliffs Middle School in San Clemente and Newhart Middle School in Mission Viejo, Doomey said.