

The new Visual Arts Building at West Valley College’s Cilker School of Art and Design transforms a quiet quadrant of the academic campus into a vibrant hub for art students and the greater college community. Situated directly across from an existing performing arts center – the two buildings form a new gateway into the school and elevates the presence of the arts across the campus.
Nestled among oaks and redwoods, the 20,000 square-foot building promotes interaction between the studio activities inside and the natural surroundings. The overall design maximizes transparency and openness throughout the facility by featuring generously glazed curtainwalls and exterior circulation shaded by louvred canopies to bring greater visibility to the arts while offering generous covered outdoor working areas.
Light colored lime plastered walls on a durable concrete base serve as a backdrop to the overall art making experience. Located on a heavily wooded sloped site, the building is carefully threaded among existing trees, allowing the natural landscape setting to permeate the interior studio spaces. The hilly site made possible a double-height gallery and a flexible studio at the lower level, which serves as an extension of the gallery and a collaborative project space.
Operable sliding doors open to allow the gallery to weave seamlessly with the campus circulation and allow passersby to connect directly with the art on display. A central louver covered stair leads to the upper-level arts courtyard. Five day-lit art studios, which wrap around the courtyard anchored by a heritage oak tree, are connected, and have direct access to covered outdoor spaces for expanded use. The exterior plaza encourages cross-pollination of disciplines and stimulates creative exchange among students.
The integrated layout of the metal/woodworking shop and kiln/foundry area is an extension of the ceramics and sculpture studios and further enhance the studio curriculum. The transparency of the building brings views and daylight into and through the studios for an immersive environment with the surrounding landscape.
North facing skylight monitors add additional daylighting into the studios. Use of covered exterior circulation and operable windows reduce the amount of conditioned space. Durable concrete walls and floor surfaces throughout the building are left exposed to eliminate the need for added finish elements. Lower water usage is managed through low flow fixtures and drought tolerant planting. The central courtyard and perimeter bioretention areas further enhance the landscaping and mitigate stormwater runoff.
Category:Green ArchitectureYear:2024Location: Saratoga, California, USAArchitects:ark Cavagnero Associates / Mark Cavagnero, John Fung, Ellen Leuenberger, Olga Luebker, and Simon NewtonLandscape Architects:QuadrigaExecutive Architects:TLCD ArchitectureOwner’s Representative:GilbaneClient:West Valley-Mission Community College DistrictPhotographers:Henrik Kam