UC Santa Cruz, Crown College Residential Renovation Santa Cruz, California
UC Santa Cruz's Crown College prides itself on providing its students, faculty, and staff with an environment of respect, integrity, and responsibility. The college encourages its residents, students, faculty, and staff to consider the theme, "Science, Technology, and Society," as it applies to their learning and teaching.
Location
Santa Cruz, California
Sector
Education
Service
Architecture
Client
University of California Santa Cruz
Status
Completed
Size
88,200 SF
Looking ahead to another 50 years of use, the design team guided the process of renovating and bringing the complex up to date, while preserving its place in the natural setting. The building design achieved a LEED Silver rating through the incorporation of sustainable practices. Strategic infill additions rectify issues related to aging infrastructure, building code, seismic, accessibility, universal design, and egress.
Study lounges as intimate commons areas were designed without altering the buildings’ footprint. A design was developed to introduce an identity to each building, via a 3-story graphic for the entry stairs, to celebrate the scientific achievements of the buildings’ namesake.
Accessibility is improved to the gate house, administration building, and dining commons by updating the vehicle drop-off loop and the path to these areas. Accessibility was improved throughout the Upper Quad, the Faculty Preceptor Building, and the Crown Library.
Updating the accessible path through the Upper Quad provided opportunities to provide more engaging and exciting exterior spaces, such as a new intermediate plaza near the library, more defined entryways to the Upper Quad buildings, and a more multi-functional green space in the center of the Quad.
