SANTA ANA, Calif—SVA Architects has been awarded four PCBC Gold Nugget Awards of Merit for its design work in California. One of those four awards was for its efforts at the Woodbridge High School Performing Arts Center, located in nearby Irvine. The performing arts center won in the category “Best Special Use Project.”

The new Performing Arts Center (PAC) at Woodbridge High School replaced an outdated 250-seat theater with a bigger house that can seat up to 650 people. Amenities include a scene shop, dressing rooms, 1,600-square-foot “black box” theater as well as the most up-to-date theater technologies. Specific coursework offered there includes not only performing but also lighting techniques, production, and set and scenery design.

SVA also received a Gold Nugget Award for its work at San Diego State University’s South Campus Plaza, a mixed-use gateway to the campus that ensures that the school melds seamlessly into the surrounding community. The plaza was designed to be pedestrian-oriented and offer quick access to the SDSU Transit Center, as well as be a welcoming ingress to more of the campus. South Campus Plaza is LEED Silver-certified and exceeds California Energy Standards by 15 percent.

The Gold Nugget Awards recognize achievement in architectural design and planning in over 60 building categories, including mixed-use and educational. SVA’s other wins this year are for its work on two other California projects, the Fruitvale Transit Village Phase IIB in Oakland and The Reserve at Seabridge Marina in Oxnard.

“SVA strives to design the best possible project for each particular site and its context within the greater community,” Ernesto M. Vasquez, CEO of SVA Architects, said in a recent statement. “It’s very rewarding to see our efforts recognized within such a competitive and significant awards program.”

Added Robert Simons, president of SVA: “We’re thankful to the Gold Nugget Awards judges for recognizing SVA’s work and our commitment to enriching our communities throughout California, and beyond.”

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