New Quad & HSS Building Dedicated Dec. 3

With dance, a ceremonial gong and a shower of biodegradable confetti, SMC dedicated its new Quad and environmentally sensitive Humanities & Social Science Building at a ceremony Dec. 3 attended by about 80 people.

Trustee Louise Jaffe and President Dr. Chui L. Tsang stand in front of coveted LEED plaque.

“The vision and planning for these facilities have really paid off,” said SMC Board of Trustees Vice Chair Louise Jaffe, shortly before banging a gong to mark the official dedication. “The transformational quality of the Quad gives hope and inspiration we want our students to feel.”

Speakers praised not only the aesthetic qualities of the Quad and HSS Building but also their sustainability. Indeed, Peter Barsuk from the U.S. Green Building Council unveiled two handsome plaques designating the HSS Building LEED-certified silver, a coveted designation that is given to sustainable structures. The plaques will be mounted on the outside of the HSS Building.

Barsuk noted that the LEED certificate is the first one for an SMC building and that HSS is one of only about 100 LEED-certified projects in Southern California. Sustainable features include the use of daylight for lighting when feasible, operable windows that provide natural ventilation, and a design that uses 25 percent less water than comparable buildings, he said. In addition, SMC recycled 75 percent of the construction waste.

SMC President Dr. Chui L. Tsang noted that when he first saw the center of campus several years ago, “there was nothing but trailers, dirt, and construction vans.”

“When the fence came down (after the completion of the Quad at the beginning of the semester), within 30 minutes the students found a new place to be.”

Synapse Dance Theater students performed at the dedication ceremony.

Associated Students President David Chun noted that student organizations have taken advantage of the Quad, staging concerts and other events in the open space.

The dedication ceremony also included a site-specific dance by members of SMC’s Synapse Dance Theater, who started at the south fountain and moved their way to the north fountain.

The four-acre Quad – a $9 million project funded by Measure U, the SMC bond approved by voters in 2002 – features a handsome promenade of pavers lined by palm trees and flanked by two large water fountains. Grass areas, trees, large planters and seating areas fill out the Quad. It was designed by tBP Architects and Meléndrez landscape architects.

The $26.6 million HSS Building was constructed in two phases – the north wing opened in fall 2006 and the south wing in fall 2007. 

The new 53,000-square-foot complex, which faces onto the Quad, is connected with pedestrian bridges and walkways. Its contemporary design features the use of Roman brick, painted metal, white concrete and glass.

The HSS Building has 22 classrooms, as well as faculty offices and lab and tutoring space. Each classroom is wired for computer and Internet access. The complex houses the history, social science and psychology departments.

The ceremony included a biodegradable confetti shower

The structure replaces the Liberal Arts Building, which was constructed in 1952 and was heavily damaged in the 1994 quake, and college officials say repairs have not satisfactorily restored the structural and seismic strength of the building. The Liberal Arts Building will be demolished.

The north wing of the HSS Building was designed by Renzo Zecchetto Architects of Santa Monica, a renowned firm that also designed the SMC Performing Arts Center. The project architect, as well as the designer of the south wing, is the Santa Monica office of Gensler, an award-winning international design, architecture and planning company that has done major projects and buildings throughout the world.

Funding for the HSS Building came from four sources: City of Santa Monica Earthquake Redevelopment Project funds ($10.2 million), Federal Emergency Management Agency ($3.08 million), the state ($4.4 million), and Measure U, the 2002 Santa Monica-Malibu bond measure ($8.9 million).