Diablo Valley College, Student Activities Remodel, Pleasant Hill, CA

Designed in conjunction with the DVC new College Bookstore, this project has been hailed by both faculty and administration as a good example of how a collaborative design process can create better buildings for educational environments. Approximately 22,000sf, the existing facility was a mish mash of overlapping food services and Hotel & Restaurant Management programs. Students in the HRM program had to cross over the college food services program on a daily basis. The new design separated both entities into their own efficient facilities, providing ample storage and new cooking lines.
As part of a masterplan approach, existing “eye sore” mechanical units located on the quad were removed and replaced with energy efficient roof top units. The trash and loading facilities on the quad were also relocated to a new joint use loading dock facility. The quad which serves as the heart of the campus was given a new vibrant and inviting look. Pedestrian safety was improved by the removal of trucks and other vehicular traffic from the quad.
This is a BSA Architects project.

Gerard Lee, AIA was the project manager and one of the lead designers at the Associate level at BSA Architects for this project. He was the primary client contact because of his intimate knowledge of the campus and educational background. His responsibilities included researching the existing structure, intensive negotiations with the DSA regarding seismic concerns and management of the project's production drawings.
This project has been viewed as successful by the Dean of the HRM program because of Gerard's ability to relate well to culinary artistes with differing opinions and personalities.