Project Data:

Firm Name:              LPA, Inc.

Completion Date:     8/1/2021

Square Footage:      105000

Building Use:           University Student Union

Location:                 San Bernardino, CA

Project Description:

The New Student Union at California State University

The New Student Union at California State University San Bernardino is a 105,000 square-feet project that will double the amount of available space for student amenities on campus. The LEED-Platinum (registered) building was fully funded and programmed by the students, underscoring their commitment to quality life on campus.

The new three-story building will be located adjacent to the existing student union, sharing resources, outdoor spaces and a connection at ground level. The first floor will house the new bookstore, dining hall and student activity spaces, including a bowling alley, a student pub, video game room, retail and lounge areas. Above the bookstore volume, an elevated plaza gives access to the second level that contains 12,000-square-foot conference center and meeting space. The top floor is reserved for administrative offices and all the student affinity centers; these spaces were designed to bring students together in one location, exchange ideas and to take advantage of the surrounding mountain views.

Each of the three main programmatic components (amenities, convention center and administration) was placed on a separate floor defining its massing size and shape. The result was a series of distinctively stacked volumes, each level with a unique expression to make way-finding easy and intuitive. This concept was further reinforced by the materiality: the amenities first floor will be clad in glass, the convention center on the second floor uses primarily textured metal and the large top floor will be wrapped in thin ultra-high-performance concrete panels.

The stacked floors were offset vertically, cantilevered and retracted in response to multiple external requirements: to maximize views, to block prevalent winds, to self-shade lower floors, to align with adjacent buildings or to create weather protection for exterior outdoor spaces in the harsh desert climate.

The relationship with the project’s immediate context was established by the alignment of common campus axis, the continuation of an existing plinth (elevated plaza) and the materiality and modularity of the elevations.

The project’s goal was to instill a renewed sense of pride and excitement in the student community, creating a new identity for their rapidly-growing population.

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

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