College of Marin, New Academic Center

Category: Learn
Kentfield, CA

This new gateway project includes a structural steel and concrete one- and three-story, 43,000 square-foot administration building that serves as a cultural and educational venue for larger campus functions. The structure contains 16 general purpose classrooms and a 100-seat auditorium and is visible to pedestrians and vehicles from multiple directions, serving to draw the community into the campus.

The lateral force-resisting systems in the building consist of concrete shear walls, expressed steel braced frames, and light-gage steel plate shear walls, which were used in concert to thoughtfully avoid seismic separations throughout the building. Drilled displacement pile foundations were used to mitigate settlement from weak underlying soils and provide support from deeper, more competent strata.

Highly prioritized sustainability goals were achieved with exterior sunscreens, canopies, and interior shades to reduce energy use; natural ventilation to reduce the need for mechanical fan units; and solar collectors for hot water and radiant floor heat.

Photo Credit: Tim Griffith Photography

Size 43,000 sf
Completed 2015
Construction Cost $26M
Architect TLCD Architecture + Mark Cavagnero Associates
Contractor Wright Contracting
Owner College of Marin
Growth – Award of Merit 

Community College Facility Coalition (CCFC), 2019


 
Honor Award

AIA San Francisco, 2016


 
Merit Award

AIA Redwood Empire, 2016


 
LEED Silver Certification

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), 2017