LOS ANGELES—California State Polytechnic University-Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) Student Housing and Dining Commons has won a National Award of Merit in the Educational Facilities category from the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA). As a result of this honor, the project is automatically a nominee for the National Award of Excellence in the Educational Facilities category, the highest honor within each category.

The collaborative design-build team consisted of HMC Architects (executive architect and housing design architect), EYRC Architects (dining commons architect), and Sundt Construction.

The new residential towers and dining commons serve as a highly visible entry point. The two mid-rise student housing buildings interlace shared social spaces, natural light, and open-air connections throughout the entire eight floors of each structure. Every floor has two 35-student households, providing many places to congregate, socialize, and study. A diversity of connections between indoors and outdoors is a defining feature. Ground-floor amenities are connected to outdoor spaces, promoting socialization and wellness. Balconies on the fifth floor connect students living on upper floors to the outdoors, while living rooms and lounges use full-height glass to queue students into the social activities happening inside.

Bedrooms feature abundant natural light while hallways end in views toward the campus and capture amazing views of the San Gabriel Mountains. Nooks and in-between spaces are designed for informal inhabitation where students can interact and make lasting connections. Warm materials, residential lighting and large communal tables aim to provide some of the warmth of home for students in the new 650-seat dining commons located at the campus entrance and gateway to the housing community. As part of a broader campus amenity, private eating areas and conference rooms equip the dining hall and accommodate late night diners.

DBIA’s 2020 award-winning projects were evaluated by a distinguished panel of design-build experts. All winners will be announced at DBIA’s Design-Build Conference and Expo Awards Ceremony on October 29th.

The post Cal Poly Pomona Venue Wins Design-Build Award appeared first on School Construction News.

POMONA, Calif.— In early December, Cal Poly Pomona cut the ribbon in a special ceremony for its brand-new modern-living residence halls and dining commons at its campus in Pomona, spanning 14 acres.

With the spring semester beginning on January 18, first-year students will soon move into two new eight-story residential towers. The towers and dining commons in the approximately 340,000 square-foot project offer first-year student residents smaller communities within larger towers, as well as a variety of communal spaces.

The collaborative design-build team on this $150 million project consisted of HMC Architects and general contractor Sundt Construction. The mid-rise design interlaces shared social spaces, natural light, and open-air connections throughout the entire eight floors of each new student housing building.

“Today’s college students embrace housing facilities that are lively, engaging, state-of-the-art, and sustainable,” said HMC Managing Principal Kristina Singiser.

“We set out to design something that would accommodate nearly 1,000 first-year students, foster social connectivity and bonding, feel like home for their student residents, and ultimately support their academic success.”

The buildings are located along the entry to the campus and adjacent to the historic Stables on Kellogg Hill. Each floor has two 35-student households. The towers have a total of 980 beds. Ground-floor amenities are connected to outdoor spaces, while balconies on the fifth floor provide beautiful views of the San Gabriel Mountains.

The social space is diverse with living rooms, shared bathrooms (one bathroom per seven students), and large communal stairway lounges. Gender and social equity influenced how community and bathroom spaces were designed—such as using full-height bathroom partitions, and equitable access to amenities. Bedrooms feature abundant natural light, while hallways end in views toward the campus and local mountains.

The new 680-seat dining commons is located at the campus entrance and is the gateway to the housing community. Private eating areas and conference rooms can also accommodate late night diners.

Pictured in photo, left to right: Robert Stokes, Vice President – Regional Director LA/OC of  Sundt Construction; Aaron Nielson, CPP Director of Dining Services; Dan Johnson, CPP Interim Associate Vice President of Facilities Planning and Management; Veronica Hernandez, Project Leader for HMC Architects; Mooris L. Taylor, CPP Sr. Project Manager of Facilities Planning, Design and Construction; Megan Stang CPP Executive Director of University Housing Services; President of Cal Poly Pomona Dr. Soraya M. Coley; Eileen Sullivan, CPP Interim Vice President of Student Affairs; Johnathan Wang, Designer of EYRC Architects; and Tom Hunter, Sr. Project Architect of HMC Architects.

The post Cal Poly Pomona Opens New Residence and Dining Venues appeared first on School Construction News.

“Just a few months ago, we were in Keansburg to break ground for this project,” said SDA CEO Charles McKenna, in a statement. “As this new school continues to take shape and this signed beam becomes a permanent part of the structure, we are reaffirming this Administration’s commitment to providing the students of Keansburg with a state-of-the-art facility.”

The new Joseph C. Caruso Elementary School is the first new school in the area constructed by the SDA, and will stand on the same site as the former 58,000-square-foot school of the same name. It was designed to accommodate 750 K-4 students across 28 general use classrooms, eight kindergarten classrooms, self-contained special education classrooms, a modern media center, a gym and a new cafetorium — a facility that can serve as either a gym or an auditorium. The project also includes administrative and support facilities, as well as outdoor physical education and play areas and parking.

"The reality of the new Caruso Elementary School rising up fuels the hopes and dreams of all future generations in the Keansburg School District. It is with great excitement and anticipation that we look forward to our students having a 21st century facility to initiate their educational journey,” said Keansburg Superintendent Gerald North, in a statement.

Hall Construction Company Inc. of Howell, N.J. and Paulus, Sokolowski and Sartor, LLC of Warren, N.J. are collaborating on the design-build project, which is being managed by Joseph Jingoli & Sons of Lawrenceville, N.J. Current projections put the cost of the school at just less than $51 million, and construction completion is anticipated for late summer 2016.

Demolition on the original school facility was completed by Tricon Enterprises Inc. of Keyport, N.J. in June 2013. At that time, NJ.com reported that the work turned up an exciting find: a 91-year-old time capsule. The capsule revealed a December 1921 edition of the local Keansburg Beacon newspaper, as well as photographs and a program of the capsule’s dedication ceremony.

Officials broke ground on the school in mid December 2014. Construction is estimated to comprise $32.7 million of the total project cost.

Progress on the new elementary school can be viewed via webcam at http://oxblue.com/open/hallgc/caruso.

The post New Jersey School Hits Construction Milestone appeared first on School Construction News.