Oscar de la Hoya Animo Charter High School is a three-story building with a roof designed for athletic and playground use. This charter school is part of a generation of schools that are smaller, more “urban” in design, and more closely linked to their neighborhoods. This 45,000-square-foot project combines a charter high school with a professional boxing center and full-length basketball court open to the neighborhood. Our team designed a unique topping slab to act as an acoustic membrane to sustain athletic and playground activities on the rooftop while students study in classrooms on the floor below. In addition to accommodating a full-scale program on a limited and small site, sun control for the west-facing classrooms also was a primary design issue.