Higher Education

The Ronald Tutor Campus Center provides a dramatic and elegant space consistent with the University of Southern California's (USC) reputation as a world-class university of the 21st century. At the heart of the Campus Center is a grand outdoor plaza, a gathering and dining area that has become the heartbeat of life on campus. Every design and programmatic element—lounges, study areas, meeting rooms, food service, student forum, and outdoor space—of the 193,000 SF building is devoted to fulfilling USC’s mission. The Campus Center has transformed USC by uniting the Trojan Family and giving the Trojan Spirit a place to thrive.

Located at the heart of USC, the Campus Center is used by virtually every person who passes through the campus. The new complex connects the Gwynn Wilson Student Union and the Pertusati University Bookstore with new dining options, student life and involvement space, and offices for Admissions and student organizations.

As the University’s “town hall”, the center provides meeting rooms and offices for student programs and organizations, lounges, entertainment facilities, dining and retail locations, conference rooms, a multi-purpose room and open spaces where members of the USC community can study, read, relax or socialize. Additionally, the Center houses the Trojan Family Room in the main entry, a warm and inviting space with a fireplace and soaring beamed ceilings, which serves as a greeting area and dramatic introduction to the facility and campus.

The Alumni Center is a home away from home for Trojan alumni. The Admission Center provides a place for prospective students and parents to become acquainted with the University through tours and orientation in the Admission Theater. Through the involvement of Hospitality, a variety of popular food venues was conceived, including a traditional food court with exterior take-out windows, café offering healthier cuisine, fine dining restaurant, and deli featuring multiple food stations.

 

Centrally located along Ocean Avenue in Downtown Long Beach, Oceanaire captures views of Long Beach Harbor and the Pacific beyond. The urban site offers short walking distances to all major retail, entertainment and recreational amenities in the downtown district. The contemporary design for this 216-unit apartment development, targeted to mainly young singles and couples, drew praise from government officials for its bold design. Most notably, the large north-south “portal” is considered to be the project's defining element. It maximizes public views from Ocean Blvd while providing an important public pedestrian connection. Upscale top-of-the-market amenities include a third floor pool terrace with ocean views, resort seating, sun deck, outdoor clubhouse, fitness/yoga studio and a dog spa/daycare facility.

AVEN is located in South Park, one of Downtown Los Angeles’ most desirable residential neighborhoods, surrounded by landmarks such as the Staples Center and LA Live. This new, 903,000-sf transit-oriented development features 536 residential units and 14,000 sf of commercial/retail space. The residential units comprise 38 floors above ground with views of the Hollywood sign and Downtown Los Angeles skyline, and include a mix of studios, and one- and two-bedroom units, as well as three penthouse units.

AVEN occupies the entire south end of a city block, leaving space for an urban park and enabling pedestrian access across the block via a public paseo. In a similar fashion, the lobby bisects the entire development, connecting to the park and allowing for visual and physical connections to a future development on the alley side.

A unique feature of this project is its expansive amenity deck located on the seventh floor—the California Deck—where views stretch over the tree-lined streets and beyond, but still give a sense of the urban activity below. This space offers a true indoor-outdoor experience, with retractable glass walls, double-sided fireplaces, and dramatic view corridors offering exciting city vistas. It features: a grand lounge, business center, indoor-outdoor fitness center and yoga studio, private barbecue areas, communal/event kitchen, self-serve coffee and concessions, dog run and wash station, activity lawn, basketball half court, full beach volleyball court, and pool and spa. The flexibility and diversity of these spaces embodies California living at its best, day or night. It’s a small “city” on the roof—a hub of various activities promoting social collisions. Another amenity deck located on the 32nd floor—the Ojai Deck—offers a more intimate setting, with an outdoor lounge and fireside gathering space to take in the sweeping city views.

AVEN is nestled within a vibrant section of the flourishing urban community of downtown LA, providing a unique opportunity for residents to take advantage of local art and culture. It includes a six-story parking garage for 800 cars, as well as bicycle parking, and is within steps of a Metro station and a proposed downtown streetcar stop.

AC Martin, in association with Hillier Architecture, designed the new library at California State University, Fresno, home to the largest collection of volumes in California’s Central Valley. The design provided innovative solutions to the existing library’s limited capacity for its rapidly expanding collections.

The 283,000 GSF addition and 80,000 GSF renovation of the university library was a collaborative effort between AC Martin, Hillier Architecture, and CSU Fresno Librarian and President of the American Library Association, Michael Gorman. The team fused their collective expertise to create the ‘library of the future’, a building that brings together students and residents from the surrounding community.

The library provides more than just a learning experience for students, faculty and the Fresno community; it is a destination containing a variety of special spaces. One such space is the large translucent sculpture at the entrance which creates a strong exterior image and defines the library’s source of organization. Other features include a café on the second level and a rooftop terrace adjacent to University administrative offices.

The library has primarily open floor plans, but incorporates a variety of seating areas, including comfortable places tucked away where patrons can retreat for quiet reading and studying and built-in seating on the grand staircase.

Situated on the central campus adjacent to the Peace Garden, a unique feature of the library is its entirely transparent façade on the north elevation, which allows abundant light into the building while providing a beautiful view of the garden. Extensive use of natural daylight, natural ventilation and the use of recycled products during construction has resulted in a highly sustainable building.

Library experts at AC Martin and Hillier Architecture understood that the ‘library of the future’ must use technology to enhance rather than replace traditional library functions. The technological innovation employed in the new library aids librarians in creating a more efficient system and helps patrons utilize resources more effectively. Technological innovations include embedded microchips for book tracking, advanced cataloguing databases to simplify the research process, and compact moveable stacks that create more space for the library’s ever-expanding collection of volumes.

The new library is a powerful resource for the University and the surrounding Fresno community. It is a significant landmark that informs the campus plan and shapes the future of California Sate University, Fresno. The fusion of cutting-edge technology and traditional library values has resulted in a facility with the potential to redefine library design in the next century.

Situated in the heart of Downtown Honolulu, this first phase of Ward Village calls for over 500,000 square feet of new floor area. Topping out at a height of 418’, this residential tower sits atop one level of retail and six levels of parking with an expansive “Sky Lanai” at the eighth level. The 35,000 square foot open-air recreation level contains both indoor and outdoor activities, designed to promote a healthy lifestyle and sense of community among residents and guests. 37 levels of ocean view residences totaling 424 units rise above the amenity terrace.

Mission Gateway in North Hills is a new 100% affordable housing that will bring 356 units of much needed affordable housing to accommodate low-income families. As a two-phased project, Phase I consists of a 4-story building that has 70 units, which is a mix of studio, one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom units while Phase II is a 5-story building with 286 units. The design strategically incorporates over an acre of combined common open space with multiple courtyards, an event space, and a playroom/recreation space for the tenants to benefit from a larger sense of community.

Located in the historic West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, the new mixed-use transit-oriented development will be located approximately a quarter mile from Metro’s Expo/Crenshaw light rail station. The development will include 168 studio, one-, and two-bedroom residential units; 17 of which will provide housing for extremely low income households. The 6-story 171,000 square foot project includes 5 levels of residential units and amenities over 40,000 square feet of commercial retail at the ground level. Residents will enjoy amenities including a pool, spa, gym, club room, lounge areas, and bike parking.

The design pays homage to the eclectic neighborhood fabric which includes a blend of newer contemporary buildings, midcentury and art deco commercial buildings, and Spanish style single family residences. Two-story design elements with angled walls and archways on the ground level honor the midcentury West Angeles Church, which previously occupied the site. Divisions and volumes create visual interest on the upper residential levels, while iron Juliet balconies honor the Spanish style architecture in the neighborhood. The street-facing corners of the building are designed with a modern approach to color and shape. On the front façade, the cross design of the laser cut perforated metal is a nod to the former church at the site. The rear of the building will feature set back landscaped terraces full of green vegetation to soften the edge and relate closer to the adjacent neighborhood.

The Bank of America Plaza, formerly the Security Pacific Bank World Headquarters, is a dramatic 55-story light granite structure with a unique square design on a 45 degree angle to the site. The design provides an aesthetic addition to the skyline as well as opening new vistas for the estimated 8,000 inhabitants of the building.

The angle also serves a functional purpose as it provides improved sun control with accompanying economies in lighting, heating and air conditioning. In addition to offices, the 1.6 million-SF project contains a concourse level restaurant accommodating 160 persons, a 200-seat auditorium, an 800-seat cafeteria, a 30,000-square foot branch bank, speciality shops and on-site parking for 2,500 cars in the base structure.

The project is predominantly garden and people-oriented, with the tower taking up approximately a fourth of the 4.21-acre, mid-city site. At the building base is a bi-level public garden, landscaped and decorated with art and sculpture. The main entrance is a series of steps in semicircular design leading to the main level of the plaza and a sculpture by Alexander Calder that stands 50 feet tall. Small gardens on the northern part of the complex are composed of semi-circular fountains.

 

AC Martin completed a programming and feasibility study for a 192,000-SF, 600-bed student housing building for sophomores and juniors that will include staff and graduate student apartments, lounge space, recreation space, a multi-purpose room, and housing support functions.