Judges' Comments
- N/A
Project Data:
Completion Date: 8/1/2016
Square Footage: 81980
Building Use: Community College New Science Building
Location: 28000 Marguerite Pkwy, Mission Viejo, CA 92692
Project Description:
The Saddleback College Science Building creates a figurative and literal bridge connecting the lower and upper campus, celebrating the California tradition of indoor to outdoor, and providing a new invigorating center for campus life. This beacon of sustainability fosters connections, interaction and ideas, and draws students to the sciences.
Through programming and design sessions, diverse departmental leaders have championed a transformative platform to teach science, inhabit a resource conserving structure, celebrate the environment, and interact with forces transcending the lesson plan. Each Department has achieved a curriculum-specific design providing infrastructure unique to their respective disciplines. Rooted in a consensus-based planning model, the staff-driven planning process establishes a foundation for students with a passion to explore an integrated universe of scientific curriculum. Success is measured by those who choose to “hang out” in the science building, piquing their interest in a future they may not have imagined. This is a teachable opportunity; science is the essence of discovery. The goal of this project is to attract the best and brightest to the scientific disciplines in a University-worthy home for innovation.
The design is rooted in context, a showcase for scientific learning, a hub for student interaction, and a model of sustainability. Certified LEED Gold; a diagram of departmentally-focused labs, infrastructure and learning environments are each specific to their subject. The heart of the design is the naturally ventilated atrium that brings students, faculty and visitors together, providing a platform for informal interaction, and bluring the distinction between the site and building. Nestled against a 50-foot rise connecting the main quad to the lower campus, lab wings orient to the campus planning grid, connecting to the atrium and outdoor courtyard. Bridges span between each floor, providing a fully accessible path of travel for students and faculty negotiating their way from the lower to the upper campus, each level is independent of an elevator. Exterior colors and finishes have been selected for their contextual value related to pre-existing neighboring buildings. The building design captures natural breezes, filling the interior with natural north-facing sunlight. The north courtyard establishes a native Southern California habitat that provides outdoor teaching and supports large gatherings. This informal oasis provides an intimate retreat from the frenetic pace of the upper campus, as well as a focus for a variety of campus events and activities. It is energized and contemplative, public and private.
The campus actively engages community joint-use program support. Connections between the public, students, and faculty are encouraged through exhibits of museum quality specimens and outdoor spaces that encourage active engagement. Children and families experience a growing passion and appreciation for the sciences, while mature generations stimulate their imagination in a vibrant and meaningful setting.
The physical environment and high achieving features enhance environmental awareness and provide a setting that teaches science and social responsibility. A complicated, technical and energy-intensive design CAN also be sustainable. This high-performance and healthy environmental achievement represents a dedicated commitment to the goals of the 2030 Initiative
C.O.T.E. | Committee on the Environment
Submitted By: |
Dougherty |
Design Architect: |
Brian Paul Dougherty, FAIA, LEED AP |
Associate Architect or Firm: |
None |
Landscape Architect: |
Nuvis 3151 Airway Ave, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 714.754.7311 |
Owner / Developer: |
South Orange County Community College District 28000 Marguerite Pkwy, Mission Viejo, CA 92692 949.582.4850 |
Engineer: |
Civil Engineering: Hall & Foreman (now David Evans and Associates) Structural Engineering: Saiful Bouquet 155 N Lake Ave #600, Pasadena, CA 91101 626.304.2616 Mechanical / Electrical / Plumbing Engineering: TTG (now IMEG) |
General Contractor: |
CW Driver 2 Technology Drive Irvine, CA 92618 949.261.5100 |
Consultant: |
Cost Consulting:Cumming 130 Vantis Dr, Aliso Viejo, CA 9265 949.900.0440 |
Photographer: |
Nils Timm 1010 N. Kings Road, Suite 316 Los Angeles, CA 90069 (310) 975-5089 nilstimm@gmail.com |
Saddleback College Science Building
Category
Commercial