De Anza College
Visual and Performing Arts Center
Salas O’Brien provided mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering, central plant upgrades, and LEED certification services for the De Anza College Visual and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco’s South Bay area, California. The building achieved LEED Silver certification.
Our client
A community college serving San Francisco’s South Bay area, De Anza College provides a wide variety of educational programs to 21,000 students on 12 acres in Cupertino, CA. The college has played a significant role in Cupertino’s growth from a small town into a powerhouse of Silicon Valley.
Project highlights
Their challenge
Success of the college’s performing arts program—which far outgrew its Flint Center for the Performing Arts—as well as a growing need for large lecture hall facilities prompted the development of plans for the De Anza Visual and Performing Arts Center (VPAC). Funded by a voter-approved bond and one significant patron donation, the new VPAC would serve as a multi-use facility for classes and a variety of college and community events like film viewings, dances, concerts, and live theater. The center would also be home to the Euphrat Museum, a dynamic exhibition space. The school needed a trustworthy engineering partner to prepare the center’s engineering design, and they chose Salas O’Brien.
Our solution
Our team provided mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering, central plant upgrades, and LEED certification services for this innovative center. The nature of the facility’s purpose impacted the team’s designs and procedures in multiple ways throughout construction. Our engineers made special provisions in planning to ensure that the HVAC and plumbing systems would not interfere with the delicate acoustics of the performance areas. In addition, the fire and life safety engineers ensured that the sprinkler and fire alarm systems met code requirements while also minimizing aesthetic impact to the facility.
The results
The finished 20,000-square-foot building serves as a beautiful, versatile, and efficient event venue for college students and community members alike, and it earned LEED Silver certification.
