Project Data:

Firm Name:              SVA Architects, Inc.

Completion Date:     6/1/2019

Square Footage:      10400

Building Use:           Retain students on campus by creating a campus store, dining services, supplemental instructional spaces, and a student lounge

Location:                 Chino, California and Fontana, California

Project Description:

The goal of this project is to deliver a unique, mixed-use “Academic Village” at both of Chaffey College’s satellite campuses in Chino and Fontana, California. Intended to accommodate a campus store, dining services, supplemental instructional spaces, and a student lounge, these Academic Villages offer a playful setting for students to study, socialize, and dine before and after their classes. The facilities also accommodate office spaces for Public Safety along with restrooms and generous outdoor seating.

Integral to the design process were multiple stakeholder meetings at both campuses with students, faculty and staff to inform the design team on the program, identity and most importantly, the unique culture at each site. Utilizing one concept with the same building components, the three buildings are arranged uniquely at each site to adapt to the existing context, creating two very individualized solutions. Each site has different access points to accommodate the pedestrian and vehicular paths of travel.

The design of this project was centered around providing key amenities to attract students that the existing campuses lack. These amenities include:
• Expanded campus store operations
• Added food and beverage venues to the campus
• A relaxed student-oriented indoor/outdoor lounge areas
• New and flexible supplemental instructional spaces
• Enhanced visibility for public safety operations

Similar spaces on these campuses are currently very limited; these new Academic Villages will be used as a tool to attract and retain students on campus to a place where they can study, socialize and dine.

The existing satellite campuses at Chino and Fontana offer little community interaction for students. The Academic Villages aim to improve the community environment by implementing a variety of elements to the campuses, including:
• Dynamic space that will provide amenities to the students including lounge, study area, campus store, and café
• Modular container units can be easily expanded or relocated in the future
• Flexible and unique character that is also modern and trendy
• The shipping container as core building element implement sustainable strategies and educates the students about the value of upcycling and green building practices
• Open public plaza that will create sustainable green area
• Social focal point for students to maximize interaction and activities

To create an environment unique to the existing architecture at each site, Chaffey College envisioned the use of shipping containers to create a vibrant and contemporary response that form various outdoor spaces to support the program within the containers. Protected from the region’s high winds and intense sun, portions of the outdoor spaces are defined by window walls and translucent roof panels with other areas open to the sky or filtered by trellis.

This project emphasizes sustainability through the upcycling of shipping containers and the extensive use of permeable surfaces to minimize impacts to campus infrastructure as well as establishing a node on the campus while complementing the existing architecture. Reusing shipping containers for structures eliminates the need for other types of framing such as wood, steel or concrete. Additionally, container projects are already LEED Silver Certified equivalent out of the factory.

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

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