San Bernardino Valley College: Kinesiology and Athletics Complex

San Bernardino Valley College

PHOTOS © RMA PHOTOGRAPHY

San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) in San Bernardino, CA, has grown steadily since its establishment in 1926. When the substantial 1992 Landers and Big Bear earthquakes struck the area, however, a new sense of urgency accompanied the need to better organize and integrate facilities across the campus.

When asked to design the new Kinesiology and Athletics Complex at SBVC, HMC Architects was faced with a specific geographic challenge: The San Jacinto fault zone, which runs through the San Bernardino community, diagonally bisecting the campus. HMC’s designers had to plan around the fault zone while integrating and organizing facilities across the campus to support the safety of the rapidly growing community. With the new facility’s location at the center of campus, it was important for all site utilities—including the physical education complex and grandstands—to remain functional and uninterrupted during construction. The affected buildings were then demolished and replaced, eliminating the need to build a temporary gym and producing a seamless, less disruptive, and cost-effective solution.

The result is a three-story, 108,509-square-foot facility that features two NCAA competition gymnasium spaces, athletics and PE locker rooms, exercise and dance facilities, office space, and specialized instruction spaces. The complex leads into the updated athletics quad and a new 2,500-seat stadium with concessions, ticketing, toilet rooms, team rooms, meeting rooms, and athletic storage.

Qualities from previous buildings are combined with the new building, creating a cohesive feel across the campus. The landscaping includes a new oak woodland consisting of drought-tolerant plants and walkways, which tie the complex into the overall site.

Standing bold and proud, the facility is a campus focal point—a testament to world-class care for the college’s athletes.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management May 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • Pitzer College

    Designing for Change in Higher Ed Learning Environments

    Higher education will continue to evolve, and learning environments must evolve with it. By prioritizing adaptable infrastructure, thoughtful reuse, strong energy performance, and wellness-centered design, campuses can create spaces that support learning today while remaining flexible for the future.

  • textured paper collage shows a school building on fire as a fire truck sprays water into the flames

    Why a Fire Loss Is More than Flames

    We've all seen what fire damage can do to a property, but the types of damage building owners often encounter after a fire loss can exceed expectations. Having full awareness of the different forms of damage properties can sustain helps owners respond faster, reduce continued damage, and get back on the road to recovery in short order.

  • LSU Breaks Ground on $200M Residential Project

    Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., recently broke ground on a new residential complex, according to university news. The South Quad residential project will consist of two buildings and add a total of 1,266 beds for freshmen students. The development comes with a price tag of $200 million, and it’s scheduled to open to students in fall 2027.

Digital Edition