Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Claremont University Consortium

Administrative Campus Center

  • 07/01/14
Administrative Campus Center for the Claremont University Consortium 

PHOTOS © MICHAEL MORAN

This new Administrative Campus Center for the Claremont University Consortium (CUC) in Claremont, CA, consolidates the majority of CUC departments and services into a single location. LTL Architects designed the interior and exterior adaptive re-use of an underutilized 42,000-square-foot maintenance building to house CUC’s administrative functions. The new Administrative Campus Center is a vibrant work environment and a collective gathering place for both CUC and the broader community. The project received LEED Silver certification.

To redefine the building’s character, LTL wrapped a continuous cedar surface around the existing frame. The ribbon works with the existing sloped geometry of the building, but moves free of the existing shell to produce exterior gathering spaces. From the entrance, the cedar slips into the interior, framing a new reception area and café. The screen continues from the café out to the south patio, defining a very large multipurpose area. Where this cedar ribbon passes over windows, the spacing of the cedar panels is incrementally increased to allow light in.

The interior of the building takes advantage of the high ceiling and the large spans of the existing steel structure, providing an open office space. Expanded windows along the perimeter in combination with 168 skylights provide enough natural light to all work stations so that artificial illumination is not needed during the day, greatly reducing the building’s energy consumption.

Forming an interior cloud across the entire building, the ceiling unifies the space, and assists with sound mitigation in the open offices. Emerging from a central spine of red carpet is a wide stair, which provides bleacher-like seating for large gatherings. The stairs take advantage of the ceiling height by creating space for a new kitchenette beneath and a cactus garden above. The resulting design is an efficient yet creative environment with a collective, egalitarian atmosphere.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • New Arizona Fine Arts School Reaches Construction Milestone

    Construction of the new Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater in Litchfield Park, Ariz., recently hit a significant milestone, according to a news release. The Agua Fria High School District held a beam-signing ceremony to celebrate the building’s topping out, or the placement of its last structural beam.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.

  • Colorado School District Breaks Ground on Unified PK–12 Campus

    The Haxtun School District No. Re-2J in Haxtun, Colo., recently announced that ground has been broken on a renovation/addition project that will unite its two schools, Haxtun Elementary and Haxtun Jr/Sr High School, according to a news release.

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.