Project Experience / Universities

California State University Los Angeles Student Union
Los Angeles, Calif.

California State University, Los Angles hired Barnhart Balfour Beatty to provide design-build services for a new 93,000-SF Student Union that would serve as the heart of campus activity. The original building constructed in 1975 was demolished in 2005 because it didn’t meet seismic safety standards.

The new $31.5-million facility combines an innovative and structurally sound interior with a sophisticated, façade. Exterior glass cladding provides expansive views of the surrounding campus and community while bringing filtered sunlight into the offices and lounge spaces.

The multi-level facility includes 14 conference rooms, two food/dining venues, banking facilities, a computer center, fitness center with yoga room and lockers, dressing room facilities, game room, a 192-seat theater/lecture hall, student offices, activity centers and several lounge areas.

What makes the project particularly innovative is the structural engineering team’s decision to use a new technology called “SidePlate,” developed following the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.

This new lighter and more flexible steel connection technology is used for structures built in high seismic activity areas. Not only did the design-build team’s use of SidePlate help them erect a sturdier facility, it also helped them generate significant cost savings by using less steel. Barnhart Balfour Beatty redirected the SidePlate savings into other high-quality enhancements.

While the university was not seeking LEED certification, it did require the building be designed using sustainable standards. One result was the ability to use existing chilled water lines and boilers serving other locations to provide the majority of the student union’s heating and cooling capacity.

Quick Facts

Project Awards

• 2009 Merit Award - National Design Build Institute of America (DBIA)