Project Data:

Firm Name:              Westgroup Designs

Completion Date:     10/3/2017

Square Footage:      2000

Building Use:           Student Resource Center

Location:                 Westminster, CA

Project Description:

Context & Site
The original Le-Jao Center facility was a relatively anonymous component of Westminster’s City Center, appearing as just another office building located between residential neighborhoods to the north; civic and cultural buildings to the west and south; and a middle school to the east. Within this context, the Student Resource Center Addition design enhances the identity and elevates the significance of the Le-Jao campus, making its function and role in the surrounding community abundantly clear and transparent.

The College had anticipated including a SRC Addition out of sight, deep within the courtyard of the existing Le-Jao Center facility, until a bold, alternative planning concept we presented at our interview captured the imagination of the Building Committee and distinguished us from our competition. Immediately apparent benefits of our proposed alternative included:
• Little or no impact to on-going facility operations during construction
• A structural system separate and distinct from that of the existing building, resulting in streamlined DSA processing and approval
• The possibility of off-site prefabrication of the entire structural frame enclosure
• A compelling new public face/identity, highlighting its significance to both the City of Westminster and the greater Orange County community

Program & Scope
The underlying thrust of the design was to leverage the relatively modest scale of the addition –2,000 sf – to create maximum value for the College through visibility and brand identity, synergy with existing programs and uses, and as an expression of the College’s commitment to student life as it moves increasingly from its heritage as a system of distance learning “centers” to a network of student-focused “campuses” replete with spaces that attract students to come, to connect, to learn, and to simply “hang out”.

The second story position of the SRC Addition and its two, unobtrusive supporting columns allowed the creation of a sheltered, shaded outdoor plaza suitable for programmed activities as well as casual seating and dining. The relocation of the original SSC computer lab from the first floor to an integrated relationship with the SRC on the second floor, accommodates a plaza-level café (currently under construction) that will serve both students and the greater Civic Center community as one more complementary, placemaking element in Le-Jao’s evolution from a center to a campus.

The completed $2.2 million addition is a transparent window to the public and educational environment by day, transitioning into an active event space in the evenings, serving as a beacon to the community as an integral part of the City’s cultural and civic life.

Sustainability
Building system components such as displacement ventilation and high-performance glazing coupled with lighting controls maximize energy savings while promoting healthy interior environments, daylighting, and access to views. More broadly, the SRC Addition contributes in a meaningful way to the quality of student life and to a flexible, multi-use facility that is more attractive to prospective students and more likely to be relevant over time to changing pedagogies. The SRC Addition represents an across-the-board, high-performance, sustainable design solution that creatively addresses the triple-bottom-line issues of energy savings, social relevance, and long-term financial stability.

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

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