ABC-Building Project: Our New Home

(CW Driver)

My fellow Interior Design Students...The Time has Come!! We are finally moving out of our old, cramped, badly air-conditioned design studios and into a new state-of-the-art facility. Soon, the Consumer Sciences building will become the new home for interior design students next semester...and it's about time!!

C.W. Driver is a multi-faceted builder providing General Contracting, Construction Management and Design/Build services to the Wester United States since 1919. With offices located in Los Angeles, Irvine, Ontario and San Diego, they have become a leader in construction management services for nearly ten decades. At Orange Coast College alone they have been the creative minds behind our new and improved Gymnasium and Fitness Center, Learning Resource Center, and newly remodeled Watson Hall. C.W. Driver is currently working on the construction of our new ABC Building located on the Southwest side of campus adjacent to the Technology Building. In the spring, this facility will offer amazing new educational opportunities for students and improve instruction capabilities for professors under the Allied Health, Consumer Sciences, and Biology education here at OCC.

The concept behind this building was to push the envelope of what most people would expect to touch and/or see in a typical higher education facility. Enlisting the help of LPA, one of the largest integrated design firms in California that specialize in environmentally friendly and sustainable design, this facility was designed to be innovative yet energy efficient to meet Title 24 regulations. By experimenting with color and texture, interior designer Tammy Miller and architect Winston Bao worked together to design a breathtaking structure and diligently selected unique yet functional products that would make it an exciting and comfortable environment for learning.

I was fortunate enough to be able to take a private tour of the ABC Building construction site with Mr. Randy Rankin, senior project manager for C.W. Driver, who was gracious enough to allow me to explore the new facility (under supervision and a hard hat of course) and see what I would be experiencing come next spring. Mr. Rankin gave me a V.I.P tour of all three buildings and let me in on how the design of the building came about and where the actual locations of some of the finishes would be. The project is in its last phase of construction and should be completed some time in December.

One of the most inspiring sights is found on the exterior walls of all three buildings. They are all scaled from top to bottom and on all four sides with an iridescent charcoal brick veneer. When the sunlight hits the side of the structure a beautiful reddish tone comes through and adds to the complexity of the finish.

Much of the finishes were not installed at the time of my visit, however, here are some of the finishes you can expect to see when the facility is open to the public in a few months.

To achieve a transitional color palette, the doors and walls will be painted in soothing shades of grey and off-white (Frazee 21740-Abalon, 3171-Silver, 487-Swiss Coffee) to give the classrooms a relaxing feel. However, the new Interior Design Studio will get a few splashes of color on the walls in cool turquoise and rust accents (Frazee 3034D-Senor, 1555D-Ptarmigan).

(Formica Corporation)

This sculpted plastic laminate by Formica used on the upper and lower cabinets in the classrooms and laboratories is run vertically and creates a surprising textural element to a somewhat simple addition. Other laminates will be used for cabinetry, work surfaces and countertops in wood grain finishes and abstract designs (Formica 6942-58 Charcoal Boomerang, 6930-NT Natural Cane).

"Natural Cane" "Charcoal Boomerang"

On the 1st floor of the C-building, the larger design and fashion studios will have recycled rubber tiled flooring installed, as well as, in the shared laboratories across the hallway. This flooring by To Market, a company founded in 1998 that prides itself in innovative alternative materials for interior spaces, is FloorScore certified for its low VOC emissions and has high rated acoustic and wear resistance properties.

Carpet tile by Bentley Prince Street, headquarted in City of Industry, CA, is used as the primary flooring selection for the classrooms, offices and conference rooms on the 2nd floor. It is a long lasting product that required very little maintenance and is a perfect choice for a high traffic facility like this one.

"More Monsters Under the Bed" Carpet in ashlar pattern

(Bentley Prince Street)

Along with the innovative design and material selection, the ABC Building also features a long steel bridge connecting all three buildings together from the 2nd floor. As you can tell, the ABC Building is going to be an huge accomplishment in bringing green and sustainable design to higher education development. I can not wait to see it myself.

By: Jamia R.

References:

www.cwdriver.com

www.lpainc.com

www.bentleyprincestreet.com

www.formica.com

www.frazeepaint.com

www.tomkt.com

www.orangecoastcollege.edu