De Anza Mediated Learning Center in Cupertino, Calif.
Emeryville, Calif.-based architectural, planning and interiors firm Ratcliff is designing two sustainable additions for the Foothill–De Anza Community College. One structure is a two-story, 65,000-square-foot Mediated Learning Center for the De Anza College campus in Cupertino, Calif., while the other is a 56,000-square-foot Physical Science village for Foothill College in Los Altos, Calif. The former is targeting LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council; the latter is designed to earn LEED Silver.
The Mediated Learning center will house distance learning, technology/media services, and staff development departments, and includes “smart” classrooms designed to delivery academic content through a variety of technology including video, online feeds, and live television feeds. In total, the building will house six 40-seat classrooms, two 50-seat classrooms, and two 100-seat classrooms, as well as a 50-seat classroom lab and a 25-seat exhibit lab designed for the anthropology department.
In terms of sustainability, the center uses a buoyancy natural air ventilation system, photovoltaics, solar thermal collectors, water-efficient fixtures, drought-tolerant landscaping, and recycled material content. The building incorporates raised floors to distribute air and power/data infrastructure while providing long-term flexibility, allowing the college to expand or contract classrooms as needed in the future.
Foothill Physical Sciences Village in Los Altos, Calif.
Credit: Ratcliff
In comparison, the Foothill Community College project comprises three separate buildings that will house the engineering, chemistry, physics, nanotechnology, and astronomy departments. A classroom building features six 40-seat classrooms, two 72-seat lecture rooms. A laboratory building houses four chemistry labs, two physics labs, and three multipurpose lab to be shared by the astronomy and engineering departments. The commons building houses a faculty conference room, student lounge, coffee shop, six breakout rooms, a student testing center, and 16 faculty offices. In between the buildings, an outdoor court and plaza offer outdoor seating.