Project Data:

Firm Name:              LPA, Inc.

Completion Date:     4/30/2016

Square Footage:      68000

Building Use:           Higher Education Administrative/Instructional

Location:                 Northridge, CA

Project Description:

The LEED NC Gold Extended University Commons at California State University, Northridge is a three-story, 68,000-square-foot building that houses both academic and administrative spaces. The building includes instructional spaces for the Tseng College of Extended Learning to accommodate their rapidly growing programs and incorporates workspace for the College’s administrative services. The design team had the unique challenge of designing a facility that would allow for close interactions and connections between both educational and professional users, by providing transparency and visibility throughout the building. The design responds with a sustainable balanced plan by providing quality student services, efficient work flow, flexible academic spaces and social spaces to facilitate collaboration.

Design Narrative
• During the programming phase, the design team explored active learning concepts to inform how to best create an environment where students can explore and engage collaboratively. The classrooms were designed to accommodate technology and media with flexible and mobile furnishings that can be configured for both formal and informal learning. In addition, the exterior courtyard and interior social lobby allow for informal gatherings and large group events.
• The building’s “parti diagram” expresses the program in one-story classroom blocks and a two-story administrative block connected by social spaces. The overall design aligns with the campus’s context by using the “campus brick” on the exterior of the classroom blocks and using a reflective glass exterior on the office block to blend in with the existing landscape.
• The efficient three-story structure with the three-story atrium brings light into the deepest part of the building. The atrium is a visual and physical connection for both students and working professionals promoting impromptu meetings. This visual connection directly influences workplace behavior and student interaction in the surrounding social spaces. Both the atrium and classroom courtyard are designed to allow for a variety of engagements for faculty and professionals to gather.

Sustainability
The Campus and the California State University (CSU) system set ambitious goals of making this building a model of sustainability for the CSU system and campus. The building’s gateway location showcases sustainable solutions on important regional priorities for stormwater management, open space, and water efficiency. The building received a LEED NC Gold rating in May 2017.
• 60% of the 2.5-acre site is open space
• 100% of stormwater treated with bio-detention basins, recharging the aquifer
• Native/drought tolerant planting and irrigation system reduce irrigation demand by 60%
• Low flow faucets, urinals, and dual flush toilets are 40% better than baseline design
• Performance is 39.7% better than Title-24
• Building design maximizes north/south exposures
• High-performance glazing system with solar shading “tubes” promotes daylighting and views while controlling glare and solar gain
• LED lighting system with controls has an LPD of .58 w/sf: 42% better than baseline design
• Over 50% of materials and products extracted or manufactured within 500 miles of the site
• All paving and planting materials sourced less than 200 miles from the site
• 85% of the construction waste diverted from landfills

C.O.T.E. | Committee on the Environment

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