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San Jose State University Campus Village
The Fall 2005 completion of San Jose State University Campus Village signaled a major step in transforming the campus from a commuter school to a true urban university. The 2,279 beds are the first component of 3 planned phases that will eventually total over 5,000 beds. Three multi-story buildings rise above two levels of sub-grade parking and provide apartment-style housing for students, faculty, and staff. At over 960,000sf, the Campus Village consists of 7-story, 8-story, and 15-story concrete structures grouped around landscaped courtyards. Village Goals and Objectives
The team embraced these goals when designing the project. The Village more than doubles the amount of on-campus housing previously available at the University, and mixes students and faculty in a unique community environment. Common areas include a conference and recreation center, laundry facilities, computer center, video gaming center, and Village store and cafe for the village residents. New offices for the San Jose State University Housing Services department are also integrated into the complex. Inviting, Vibrant Residential Community Inviting courtyards are especially designed and landscaped with varieties of trees, shrubs and grasses. Paved walkways and plazas connect the buildings. A variety of exterior spaces are provided for the residents from the volleyball court in front of the freshman building, to the group seating and eating areas in front of the central building, to the relaxing, shaded bench seating in front of the faculty/staff building. A formal court incorporating a water feature organizes and defines the primary site entrance to the campus and is designed for larger gatherings. The new Village has brought a renewed sense of place to the established campus. Students are excited to live on campus in a close-knit environment which fosters exceptional learning. The complex was designed with state of the art technology as a significant component. “Fiber to the pillow” was the tag-line for the design team. All of the buildings are fully air conditioned and equipped with a state-of-the-art fiber optic network which brings computer internet connectivity, telephone, cable TV, and video gaming to each unit bedroom. The University embraced reality of changing technologies during the design and construction phase. Over the 4 years from masterplanning to opening, the University switched from CAT 5 cable to fiber optics to provide residents the latest in communications and technology. Apartment Configuration The upper classman building extends in height from nine to fifteen stories and houses 356 three, four, and five bedroom apartment style units. The most prevalent apartment unit contains four single occupancy bedrooms with the four students sharing a bathroom, a living and dining space, and a full kitchen. Most of the amenity and support function spaces for the complex and the Housing Services offices are located on the lower two floors of this structure. The 8-story faculty/staff building provides 98 apartments of one bedroom, two bedroom, and efficiency units. This building contains an unique unit with interconnecting doors which allows the University flexibility in creating various combinations of one, two bedroom, and efficiency units. Creative Approach to Project Development Creative Use of Construction Materials Brick is the primary building skin material for the first two floors of the buildings with the upper floors being enclosed with glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC) panels. Cast stone and precast concrete are used as trim materials such as window sills, cornices, and window surrounds. Sloped standing seam metal roofing is used on the buildings lower portions to add a residential character to this large scale project. Vertical ribbons of curtainwall in living spaces are used to break up the building massing and contrast with individual operable windows in the unit bedrooms. The use of light-weight Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) panels helped speed erection. The fabricator was able to form the panels in a large size, due to the light weight nature of the material. The construction team was able to hang between 5,000-7,000 sf of curtain wall per day utilizing the efficient pre-fabricated concrete panels. Cast stone shapes at the base of the building were used, while GFRC shapes were designed into the building’s upper stories. The project designers created unique cornice and architectural banding with the GFRC to respond to San Jose’s unique vernacular style. Significant Challenges and Solutions The water table in San Jose, California is high, only 6 feet under grade. The project’s tight site mandated underground parking, which reached down 22 feet. Dewatering shafts were drilled every 20' around the entire city-block site and the contractor continually ran pumps 24-7. At first a mud slab was poured to get construction out of the mud and to create a flat, dry surface. Then a waterproofing layer was added and ultimately, an actual mat-slab. Concrete was poured for 3 days. Pumps were continually running and could only be turned off after the pouring of the project’s 3rd level. If the pumps had been turned off earlier, there was not enough weight in the structure to keep it from floating up, given the extent of the water pressure.
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