West Valley College, Saratoga, Calif., serves more than ten thousand students on the western edge of Silicon Valley, 50 miles south of San Francisco. Its student center dates to the early 1970s—concrete construction, limited visibility to the outdoors, not much flexibility to its spaces, and a hard-to-follow circulation plan. To add to the problem, a new building cut off two nearby plazas from each other, rendering them largely unused.
The college brought in BFGC-IBI Group, San Luis Obispo, Calif., to address these problems. The design firm employed folding glass wall partitions (in this case, the NanaWall SL70 Folding System) to replace the single-glazed storefront windows. One of the installations links the two previously separated plaza spaces, creating a new circulation artery and breathing new life into the plazas.
Another installation in the student center has a fully operable wall of glass, which enables the college to rent the space for weddings and parties, providing a new source of revenue. An interior partition installation enhanced visibility between previously obscured areas of the student center.
Related Stories
| Jun 25, 2012
AIA-NJ honors DMR Architects
The academic building, completed in 2009, provides classrooms, computer labs, faculty offices, and meeting spaces for the College, which has a steady 7% annual increase in enrollment.
| Jun 25, 2012
Thornton Tomasetti appoints Hofmeister and Zhu to board of directors
The addition of Hofmeister and Zhu brings the number of directors to 10.
| Jun 20, 2012
WHR’s Tradewell Fellowship Marks 15th Anniversary
Fellowship program marks milestone with announcement of new program curator and 2012 fellow
| Jun 15, 2012
Beck Group/Atlanta wins AGC Build Georgia Award
Site-specific safety plan, BIM analysis and third-party structural review contributed to successful implementation.
| Jun 15, 2012
Baldwin joins Charlotte office of Perkins Eastman as principal
Experience in healthcare planning and design to expand national healthcare practice in South and Mid-Atlantic.
| Jun 15, 2012
InPro’s bio-content becomes Cradle-to-Cradle CertifiedCM Silver
Two main components of G2 Blend formula now C2C Certified Silver.
| Jun 14, 2012
A. Eugene Kohn Watercolor Exhibition a showcase of KPF artwork in NYC
Kohn's watercolors have previously been displayed at the Guggenheim Museum in a show for the works of well-known architects.
| Jun 14, 2012
Gilbane names two new executive vice presidents
Dennis Cornick and Thomas Laird join Gilbane's executive team, expanding the company's leadership to drive business goals.
| Jun 14, 2012
Viscardi joins LEO A DALY as VP, corporate director of aviation programs
Viscardi will be responsible for providing the vision and strategy for growing the firm’s aviation practice, identifying and establishing new clients, as well as maintaining existing client relationships.
| Jun 14, 2012
Sustainability consultant’s keynote highlights the evolution of LEED green building in Spain
Sustainability planning, green building and water efficiency consultant, Jerry Yudelson keynoted the celebration of Spain’s first LEED Platinum Municipal Green Building.
