A three-story “library-plus” building at California State University, East Bay (CSUEB) that ties together the upper and lower campuses was recently completed. The 100,977-sf facility, known as the Collaborative Opportunities for Research & Engagement (“CORE”) Building, is one of the busiest libraries in the CSU system. The previous library served 1.2 million visitors annually.
The new building offers students 700 more seats and 21 more group study rooms than the facility it replaced. Much more than a library, CORE brings traditional library services together with learning, innovation, and technology; collaboration and engagement; and social justice, diversity and sustainability.
It houses the Student Center for Academic Achievement (SCAA—for peer tutoring and study groups) and the Hub for Entrepreneurship, both of which help students become self-directed learners in the Information Age economy.
Equipped with state-of-the-art information and audio-visual technologies, the building provides diversity of spaces to support study rooms and collaborative commons along with multimedia production and library spaces for print and digital collections, archives, and special collections.
Generous open space and fenestration help knit the interior into a cohesive sum of many essential parts. In anticipation of earning LEED Gold certification, the building’s HVAC system aims for healthy indoor air quality, high levels of user controllability, and exceptional energy efficiency.
Each of CORE’s three stories offers a different approach to learning designed to help develop lifelong skills. The library is on Level Two. Level One houses a collaboration zone and innovation labs. Level Three is home to the SCAA and a roof deck provides an additional place for quiet study.
The visual dialogue within the building’s interior emphasizes the relationship between spaces that serve both the academic and social needs of students. CORE’s structure and functionality were designed to help CSUEB hone a distinct identity in the Bay Area’s rich educational landscape and enable it to be viewed as something more than a “commuter school.”
On the building team:
Owner and/or developer: California State University, East Bay
Architect of record, design architect: Carrier Johnson + Culture (Exterior)
Associate Architect: Anderson Brulé Architects (Interior)
MEP engineer: Integral Group
Structural engineer: Forell/Elsesser Engineers
General contractor/construction manager: Rudolph and Sletten
Related Stories
| Feb 2, 2012
Fire rated glazing helps historic university preserve its past
When the University embarked on its first major addition since the opening of Hutchins Hall in 1933, preserving the Collegiate Gothic-style architecture was of utmost importance.
| Feb 2, 2012
Next phase of construction begins on Scripps Prebys Cardiovascular Institute
$456 million Institute will be comprehensive heart center for 21st Century.
| Feb 1, 2012
Two new research buildings dedicated at the University of South Carolina
The two buildings add 208,000 square feet of collaborative research space to the campus.
| Jan 31, 2012
Fusion Facilities: 8 reasons to consolidate multiple functions under one roof
‘Fusing’ multiple functions into a single building can make it greater than the sum of its parts. The first in a series on the design and construction of university facilities.
| Jan 27, 2012
BRB Architects designs new campus center for Molloy College
Intended to be the centerpiece of the College’s transformation from a commuter college to a 24-hour learning community, the “Public Square” will support student life with spaces such as a café, lounges, study rooms, student club space, a bookstore and an art gallery.
| Jan 19, 2012
BOKA Powell-designed facility at Texas A&M Bryan campus
The new facility provides programs for the Texas A&M Health Science Center, the Texas Brain and Spine Institute, Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers, and Blinn College Allied Health programs.
| Jan 4, 2012
Shawmut Design & Construction awarded dorm renovations at Brown University
Construction is scheduled to begin in June 2012, and will be completed by December 2012.
| Jan 3, 2012
New Chicago hospital prepared for pandemic, CBR terror threat
At a cost of $654 million, the 14-story, 830,000-sf medical center, designed by a Perkins+Will team led by design principal Ralph Johnson, FAIA, LEED AP, is distinguished in its ability to handle disasters.
| Dec 20, 2011
Gluckman Mayner Architects releases design for Syracuse law building
The design reflects an organizational clarity and professional sophistication that anticipates the user experience of students, faculty, and visitors alike.
| Dec 19, 2011
HGA renovates Rowing Center at Cornell University
Renovation provides state-of-the-art waterfront facility.
