PLOVER CONVERSION, SANTA ROSA JUNIOR COLLEGE
Santa Rosa, CA | Complete
Old meets new: Conversion of the SRJC’s original Plover Library into a Student Services building capitalized on the best of it’s early 1970's era architecture by proudly exposing it’s brick walls and re-using the solid oak library stack end panels as a feature wall in the Lobby. This backdrop was countered with a palette of contemporary shapes and forms that lend character and scale to the high volume Student Service court.
Budget challenges: An untimely spike in the construction cost cycle called for some difficult decisions halfway through the design process. Wall coverings were changed to paint, patterned linoleum flooring designs were substituted with building standard resilient tile, and the carpet specification was reformulated. Re-use of existing furniture and careful specification of fixtures and furnishings contributed to meeting budgetary concerns while respecting the overall design intent for the project.
Balancing Privacy and Security: One of the challenges presented in design of custom casework was a need to create acoustical and visual privacy at counseling stations, without compromising the need for security and oversight. Staggered workstations, slanted divider partitions and strategic use of transparent, opaque and acoustical materials provides for both needs and lends visual interest to a space often filled with queues of students.