SWA/Balsley collaborated with DIG Architects and Montclair State University to reimagine the campus student center, adjacent quad, and connections to the surrounding campus. Through site analysis and project stakeholder meetings, key pedestrian and vehicular circulation routes were identified for resident students, daily commuters, and University staff. The study also identified existing utility corridors, views, key vegetation, and access to parking and buildings. SWA/Balsley’s new plan for the student center area will make it a vibrant destination and a hub for student life. The proposal includes eliminating vehicular and pedestrian conflicts by closing roads, consolidating service functions, and clarifying north-south pedestrian circulation; enlarging and leveling the sunken quad and layering in transverse pathways to encourage free movement and activation of the lawn; introducing generous outdoor lounge areas abutting the revamped student center; and creating a welcoming new rideshare and shuttle arrival area and interstitial plaza spaces that stitch together disparate outdoor spaces into a cohesive and dynamic new landscape.
Miwok Aquatic and Fitness Center
Nestled in Novato’s rolling Oak woodlands, the College of Marin’s Miwok Aquatic and Fitness Center provides Northern California with a new destination for aquatic training and competitions. Part of the College’s Indian Valley Campus, the center neighbors over 1,400 acres of open space preserves. ELS and SWA worked closely to lay out the site ...
UCSD Theatre District Living & Learning Neighborhood
Replacing over 10 acres of surface parking at the western edge of UCSD’s campus, the new Theatre District Living & Learning Neighborhood introduces housing for over 2,000 undergraduate students, interwoven with academic facilities, campus arts venues, and access to the adjacent La Jolla Playhouse.
Anchored by five mixed-use buildings, the site intro...
Chabot College Library & Grand Court
In collaboration with architects Group 4 and HMC, SWA transformed Chabot College’s predominantly paved Grand Court into an outdoor living room at the heart of the 14,000-student campus. The opportunity to reimagine the space came in conjunction with siting, massing, and designing the new iconic, three-story faceted library where the campus’ main walks intersec...
Cañada College Kinesiology & Wellness
In collaboration with ELS, SWA designed a new landmark for Canada College: the Kinesiology & Wellness Center. The project replaced a windowless 1960s-era gym building and outdoor asphalt yard with the glassy new building and infinity pool deck on this hilltop campus with fantastic views. The project also created a new campus arrival and ceremonial overlo...