Client: William S. Hart Union High School District, Kemp Bros. Construction Location: Castaic, California Year Completed: 2020 Project Value: $ 1,123,944 Architect: Ruhnai Runau Clarke Awards / Acknowledgements: Starnet Design Award Recipient – Bronze Winner Education Products / Strategic Partners: Altro, ARDEX Americas, Armstrong Flooring Inc., Flexco Floors, Tarkett | Johnsonite, Tarkett Centiva

At Universal Metro, we are proud to have played a key role in the construction of Castaic High School, a true state of the art high school campus in Southern California. Spanning 256,230 square feet across 58 acres, the project was designed from the ground up to provide students and staff with a world-class learning environment.

This seven-figure development included five classroom buildings, a STEM-focused science and library center, a gymnasium with training spaces, a performing arts building, a full-service food service facility, an administrative building, and a maintenance hub. Every detail of this project reflects a vision for the future of education—and Universal Metro’s flooring craftsmanship was at the heart of it.

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A Campus Designed for Wellness and Performance

Castaic High School was designed using the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) framework, ensuring energy efficiency, sustainability, and student wellness were central to the build. The flooring solutions were chosen to deliver performance, beauty, and durability across diverse spaces throughout the state of the art high school campus.

• • Armstrong Natural Creations LVT provided wood and earth-inspired textures that blended seamlessly with the Southern California landscape.

• • Armstrong Standard Excelon and Raffia VCT offered resilient finishes for high-traffic classrooms and corridors.

• • Tarkett Powerbond Carpet enhanced acoustics and added dramatic patterns to open spaces such as libraries and administrative offices.

• • Altro slip-resistant flooring ensured safety in sports therapy rooms.

• • Johnsonite Tarkett and Flexco rubber moldings complemented design finishes across all buildings.

The flooring design mirrored the rolling foothills and high desert surrounding the campus. Expansive windows invited the outdoors in, furthering the school’s commitment to wellness by blending the natural environment with a thoughtful interior.

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Overcoming Challenges with Resilience

Large-scale projects like this always come with unique challenges. For Castaic High School, Universal Metro demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and teamwork to ensure success.

• • Phased Construction: With buildings released to us on a staggered schedule, we carefully tracked dye lots, materials, and labor to ensure consistency across every phase.

• • Design Overhaul: Midway through construction, the school redefined its identity and colors, requiring a shift in flooring design. We collaborated closely with designers and contractors to integrate these changes while minimizing delays.

• • Weather Delays: Heavy rains in 2019 impacted schedules, but our team adjusted to stay aligned with the overall timeline.

• • COVID-19: With less than a year remaining, the pandemic brought new safety protocols. We adapted quickly, enlisting PPE, distancing, and compliance strategies to keep the project moving while safeguarding our team.

Through every obstacle, our installers and project managers embodied Universal Metro’s culture of commitment, precision, and care, ensuring the final product reflected excellence.

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A Lasting Legacy

Today, Castaic High School stands as a state of the art high school campus designed to support generations of students, teachers, and staff. Universal Metro is proud to have delivered flooring solutions that are not only durable and functional, but also contribute to the wellness and performance of the entire school community.

This project represents the best of what we believe in: collaboration, craftsmanship, and creating environments that inspire. For us, it’s more than flooring—it’s building a foundation for the future.