Our client
The San Jose-Evergreen Community College District serves more than a half million residents within its 303-square-mile boundary. The district is composed of two colleges: San Jose City College, located fifty miles south of San Francisco in Santa Clara Valley, and Evergreen Valley College, situated among orchards in the foothills of Santa Clara County’s lush Evergreen Valley. These two colleges cover more than 1.4 million square feet of building space and 160 acres of land.
Project highlights
Their challenge
Some of the district’s buildings are among the oldest in the California community college system and required renovation. Over the past 15 years, a series of bonds—coupled with state funds and private donations—have begun to revitalize the infrastructure of the district. As part of that effort, Salas O’Brien was contracted to provide electrical, mechanical, plumbing, fire alarm, and security services for the Evergreen Valley College Central Energy Plant and Fire/Police Station renovation, modernization, and expansion. The project was designed to reduce the overall utility usage and environmental impact of the campuses.
Our solution
Salas O’Brien worked with AEDIS Architects and the district to complete all upgrades, which included renovation and modernization of the 9,270-square-foot central plant and an expansion of the 3,186-square-foot campus police station to accommodate campus growth and increased service offerings. Throughout the project, our engineers worked to align their designs with the district’s dedication to sustainability—an initiative which resulted in the use of recycled water for the cooling tower and LED lighting for both interior and exterior applications.
The results
The campus facilities are now some of the most modern in the system, and the structures’ design support the district’s ambitious goals for a more sustainable future.
