Completion Date: 3/2/2015
Square Footage: 50000
Building Use: Community College Student Center | Student Services and Student Activities
Location: Yucaipa, CA
Project Description:
This project is the centerpiece of 3 projects constructed concurrently to reinvigorate the sleepy “Emerald on the Hill” Crafton Hills College. This College Center is envisioned as the campus portal that supports student success by displaying the campus’ student service offerings while providing a “living room” for the campus. The architecture is a furtherance of the “palm springs modernist” E. Stewart Williams (original campus architect) ideas to create environmentally responsive organic buildings that are rooted in the landscape, and then in contrast, float above the landscape to take advantage of the mountain views above and the valley views below.
DESIGN
The Crafton College experience is wonderfully unique because the total campus, which was designed and built at one time by E. Stewart Williams is dynamic and cohesive. He was particularly interested in achieving a balance between the building and its’ environment, embracing and capturing the beauty of the natural setting. Five key design elements enumerated in the College Master Plan were incorporated into the building design to create “identity” and cohesiveness:
1. Entry: The entry portal is the first introduction to a new student. It is unique, clearly defined and welcoming. It opens to the formal central quad and is visible from the campus automotive drop-off area.
2. Threshold: Just as the existing structures create gateways between spaces of different scales, the building creates thresholds and expansive views through the integration of building placement, site elements, and landscape.
3. Transparency: The new building has expansive glass areas to express the internal programmatic functions, to reveal students getting support, eating, playing, conversing, studying etc. and to take advantage of the views.
4. Base: The concrete mass of the existing “living wall” a landscape element which teaches students about the geological campus history sets the base for the new architecture forming retaining and foundation walls and providing a visual connection to the existing structures.
5. Floating: With cantilevered roof overhangs, bridge-like structures and horizontal strip windows, the new architecture embraces a floating quality that relates to the original campus structures.
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
The Crafton Center is a building where students should feel that it is their building, built for them with the intent that they can “hang out”. The building’s intent is to illustrate to student the importance that the College places on them; students are the top priority. Incorporating the use natural woods on walls and ceilings where students are encouraged to interact and encouraged to take a rest, create the perception that the interiors are warm and inviting. All the department service transaction counters for student use are comprised of soft curving forms in contrast to the rectilinear private offices. Students implicitly understand where they are to go.
SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY CONSERVATION MEASURES
This projected LEED Silver building’s features are: sun shading devices designed specifically per orientation, high efficiency mechanical system, a hybrid recycled panel “rain screen” system, and recycled materials on the interior and exterior.
C.O.T.E. | Committee on the Environment
Submitted By: |
tBP/Architecture |
Design Architect: |
Gary P. Moon, AIA |
Associate Architect or Firm: |
HMC Architects, Architect of Record |
Landscape Architect: |
Ahbe Landscape Architects, Landscape Architecture |
Owner / Developer: |
San Bernardino Community College District |
Engineer: |
VCA Engineers, Inc., Structural Engineering P2S Engineering, Mechanical Engineering P2S Engineering, Electrical Engineering |
General Contractor: |
Bernards |
Consultant: |
Laschober + Sovich, Culinary Arts Consultant |
Photographer: |
Bill Hall Photography |
Crafton Hills College | Crafton Center
Category
Commercial
Description
The jury was impressed by the Quality of day lighting and permeability of the indoor and outdoor spaces in such a harsh environment. There is a continuity of expression of structure - inside and outside, at both the large and small scale. The dynamic of the design penetrates through the whole building.
Congratulations tBP/Architecture.
Winner Status
- Citation Award