Pasadena, Calif.-based contractor CW Driver has completed a $70 million, 95,000-square-foot lecture hall and classroom structure at the University of California Santa Barbara, according to a Sept. 6 report. news release.
The school’s new interactive learning pavilion offers approximately 2,000 student seats across five classrooms, three rooms for project-based learning and 20 flexible discussion spaces. In total, there are 32 new spaces, with a range of capacities from 30 to 350 students.
Built in the heart of campus, the project required early rerouting of bike and pedestrian lanes, as well as planning just-in-time deliveries in the early morning to keep away from student traffic when school was in session .
“We worked closely with the university to develop an off-site assembly where delivery vehicles could enter the campus individually, thereby limiting the number of trucks on campus at any one time and minimizing the impact of construction on the community.” , senior Jeff Bara said. project manager at CW Driver.
CW Driver collaborated with LMN Architects on the project. Consisting of two main buildings with an open-air street space between them, the structures have staircases and view terraces, while the upper levels offer views of the Pacific Ocean. The structure, which received LEED Gold certification, will be powered exclusively by electricity generated without using natural gas and also includes 1,700 new bicycle parking spaces.
The completion is the latest in a series of education-related construction announcements this year. In the K-12 space, many jurisdictions stepped up construction and renovation while the students were on summer vacation. In the meantime, Jacobs got a $517 million contract modernize Texas schools.
CW Driver, a 104-year-old company, has completed numerous higher education projects throughout California, including the Pomona-Pitzer College Rains Athletic Center; CSU Dominguez Hill Science and Innovation Building; and CSU San Bernardino Coyote Village and Coyote Commons, according to the firm.
