SMC architecture is fetching praise
CITYWIDE The newest buildings at Santa Monica College are sitting pretty.
A trifecta of new development at the various SMC campuses — the Theatre Arts Building at the main campus on Pico Boulevard; the Performing Arts Center at the Madison Campus; and the Bundy Campus next to the Santa Monica Airport — picked up a slew of design awards this month.
“The college is very pleased that we’re able to offer both a very functional design and an award-winning design to our students and get them far superior facilities to what they had in the past,” said Greg Brown, the director of facilities planning for Santa Monica College.
Opened in summer 2006, the $20 million Theatre Arts Building, located in the northeast corridor of the main campus, led with three awards — Best Performing Arts by the California Construction Magazine; Best Design by the Southern California Development Forum; and Top Projects in Southern California by the Real Estate Construction Review Magazine.
The Performing Arts Center on the Madison Campus and the glass tower at the Bundy Campus captured one award apiece — Best Higher Education by California Construction Magazine and an award of merit for the Community College Facility Coalition, respectively.
The 20,000-square-foot Theatre Arts complex was designed by Leo Daly Architects of Los Angeles, the new venue replacing a 1950s-era structure.
The contemporary building is highlighted by its so-called “origami roof,” appearing like a folded piece of paper, creating a striking profile against the sky, according to Hraztan Zeitlian, the firm’s director of design. Zeitlian was not on the team when the building’s design was conceived, though he has worked with the college in the past on previous assignments.
With an outdoor seating area and a tree plaza, the building was constructed to foster a student community.
“The building does things that create life around it,” Zeitlian said.
The Performing Arts Center became the college’s most recent jewel when the performing arts section of the building opened this summer. The main theater is slated for completion next spring.
The $42 million project took place at the corner of 11th Street and Santa Monica Boulevard, on the former Madison School site, which is still owned by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. The 52,000-square-foot center, designed by Santa Monica-based Renzo Zecchetto Architects, includes dressing rooms, an orchestra lift and more than 2,000 feet of rehearsal space.
“It’s nice to be recognized of course,” said Renzo Zecchetto, the firm’s principal owner. “My real award would be that the place is embraced by the community in Santa Monica.”
The building pays homage to the city’s history as a beachside destination, designed with various angles called “sails,” Brown said.
SMC purchased the Bundy Campus site from defense contractor BAE Systems in 2005, renovating the more than 27-year-old, four-story structure. The 64,000-square-foot building, designed as an all-glass tower, houses the nursing and continuing education programs.
MORE IN THE PIPELINE Now that students are on winter break, the construction crews have come out to work on the new main campus quad, which broke ground this week.
The quad is intended to create a new center of campus — surrounded by the Theatre Arts Building, the recently renovated library, and the Humanities and Social Services building, which opened last summer, on the other side, Brown said.
One of the larger projects expected in the coming years is the creation of the Students Services Building at the current amphitheater. The new building will consolidate the student services department, which is scattered throughout campus.
Included in the project is a new frontage for the Pico Boulevard side of the campus. When the campus first opened, the main entrance faced Pearl Street. A community meeting to discuss the proposed changes is scheduled for Jan. 3, at 7 p.m. at the Bundy Campus.
Construction for the Student Services Building will kick off in December 2008 and the entire project, including the new frontage, is estimated to be completed by March 2012, costing a total of $80 million.
“We’re going to make campus much more welcoming to students facing the community,” Brown said.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 26, 2007. Read the original PDF.