Steel and wood have begun to rise for the expansion of the California College of the Arts at 1140 7th Street in San Francisco. The new facilities, dubbed Double Ground, allow CCA to close its Oakland campus and consolidate into the Design District with a new landmark designed by renowned Chicago architectural firm Studio Gang. The new building integrates exposed concrete and solid wood into a new creative complex in the heart of the urban campus.
Aerial view of the CCA campus with the San Francisco skyline in the background
Massive wooden structures of the CCA campus seen from the exposed corridors, rendering of Studio Aisle and Kilograph
The 2.3-acre expansion will create approximately 96,500 square feet of new floor space, with sidewalk improvements along Hooper, Irwin and 8th Streets. The new campus will combine CCA’s 22 undergraduate and 11 graduate programs. The tallest buildings will be 58 feet tall. Parking for 68 bicycles is included.
The facilities aim to be post-operated carbon neutral with net-zero energy, including a micro-grid for the campus to harvest and store clean energy. The buildings emphasize solid wood as the primary structural element, a relatively new building material with a lower carbon footprint than traditional materials such as concrete and steel.
CCA campus entry, rendering of Studio Aisle and Kilograph
CCA Campus in-situ concrete sign already visible
Cross-sectional diagram of the CCA campus, rendered by Studio Aisle
There will be two four-story buildings and one two-story solid wood wrapped with side timber braces and deep, 11-foot-deep open-air walkways. This simple, large-scale design throughout the campus will undoubtedly become a landmark of the CCA campus.
Below the three-story buildings, Studio Gang plays with the ground and second floor levels to move, hence the name Double Ground. The broad avenues connected to various pavilions serve as meeting places for students. The plans include outdoor spaces as well as indoor spaces to give students space to study and work. Studio Gang writes that “this multi-layered environment acts together as a laboratory where students and faculty can explore sustainable materials, processes and tools.”
Vertical cross-section of the CCA campus, site view from Studio Aisle
The following passage from CCA describes Double Ground site programming:
The “basement” at street level will house workshops and studios that require heavy equipment: facilities for ceramics, metal, sculpture and furniture, among others. Many of these ground floor spaces open onto shared maker courtyards and flexible outdoor courtyards that serve as extensions of the surrounding workshops while encouraging interaction among students working in a variety of disciplines and media. Large windows showcase what’s happening in the adjoining studios while maximizing the natural light inside. This transparency extends to the “Upper Ground”, a second main level with an outdoor plaza and a park-like garden overlooking the manufacturers’ courtyards below.
Interior of the CCA campus, rendering of the studio aisle and Kilograph
Student view of CCA campus, rendering of studio aisle and Kilograph
CCA was founded in Berkeley in 1907 before moving to Oakland in 1922 and San Francisco in 1996. The Oakland campus officially closed last year, with all students relocated to San Francisco. The school has around 1,600 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. The main building on the same block as the extension was remodeled by Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects from a Greyhound maintenance facility for the art school.
The school recently expanded its neighborhood student housing capacity with the addition of Blattner Hall by Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects in 2018 and Founders Hall by Stanley Saitowitz | Natoma Architects completed it in 2020.
CCA campus construction site
Hathaway Dinwiddie is the general contractor. Crews have already removed the former surface parking lot, excavated the foundation and begun erecting timber walls and steel rebar. Double Ground is expected to be completed next year.
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1140 7th Street California College of the Arts Double Ground Hathaway Dinwiddie Studio Aisle
