San Jose State to Get New Health Center
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Ratcliff Architects, based in Emeryville, and its partner, Santa Clara-based Blach Construction Company, were chosen to design and build a new $25 million student health and counseling center at San Jose State University (SJSU).
The three-story, 53,000-square-foot facility will provide full health and counseling services, while supporting the university’s student health services program. The project includes support spaces and administrative office suites, and exam and screening rooms, as well as space for massage, acupuncture, dentistry and optometry programs. It will house about 70 employees and 20 student assistants.
User input requested that the project incorporate a wellness and health lounge to promote student health. It will serve as a place for students to gather with peer and health educators and features an area for quiet rejuvenation.
The overall design of the center features an open floor plan for flexible module planning so private offices for physicians and counselors will stand next to open areas for support and administrative services. As a key part of this design, Blach will use a prefabricated structural system made by ConXtech, which will help speed up the assembly of the building’s structural steel.
The design was also created to fit in with the campus architecture: “Conceived from one of the major styles developed on campus, the building successfully melds outside and inside by establishing new gathering spaces with sensitive landscaping, façade design and material selections, all the while aligning planning and budget with campus integration as the ultimate goal,” said Gary Jerezcek, Ratcliff project manager, in a statement.
Designed to comply with LEED Gold standards, sustainable elements will include optimized energy performance, water-efficient landscaping and daylighting features. Construction is scheduled to begin in July 2013 and completed in December 2014 in a design-build schedule, with project methods using BIM technology and fast-track coordination.