Mogavero Architects

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Work

Vietnam Veterans’ Resource Center

The Vietnam Veterans of California built this resource center to provide support services to the estimated 4,500 veterans throughout Northern California who lack shelter and adequate job skills. The facility provides employment training, placement services, and administrative office space for the agency. A 32-bed residential facility provides on-site housing for homeless veterans transitioning back into society. The entry to the buildings is through the “soldier columns” that lead to an academic court situated between the offices and classrooms. This space leads to the residential wing, where a strong, animated color scheme helps to differentiate the area from the comparatively staid colors of the classrooms and administrative area. The design places emphasis upon a therapeutic environment for the residence with natural lighting and energy systems and sociability privacy enhancements. The natural lighting and open design of the dining area off the kitchen, brings the positive vibrance of the courtyards indoors. Classrooms and residence facilities work together to provide the kind of atmosphere most conducive to learning and reinforcement. The communal gathering spaces lead to the curved, glassed hallway which opens onto and embraces a park-like recreation area. The hallway’s gentle curvature is aesthetically pleasing and enhances the sense of privacy for residents of the dormitory. Additional site improvements include an outdoor recreation area, working garden, landscaped communal area, and a thirty-four-space parking lot. There is also an on-site swale which detains excess water from the back of the site and parking lot and cleans the run off prior to it entering the underground drainage system.

Work

Almaden Solar Project

The Almaden Campus Solar Port project was designed to demonstrate sustainable, cutting edge technology for the Santa Clara Valley Water District. The double beams, braced components and masonry bases draw from the same architectural language as the existing Craftsman inspired headquarters building. These elements provide a base for a gentle curved canopy of overhead photo voltaic panels that produce 105KW of solar power. The curve of the canopy was designed to reveal the blue surface of the photo voltaics to pedestrians and motorists. The sustainable aspects of the project were enhanced by an existing engineered bioswale that informed the design. A 6′ gap bisects the canopy allowing sunlight to reach the bioswale below. Additionally, the canopy modules are individually spaced; thereby transmitting a filtered light that helps lighten its underside.

Work

SMUD PV & Hydrostation

SMUD, BP, and Ford Motor Company co-sponsored this hydrogen refueling station as a demonstration project located on the SMUD campus. The station produces hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles by combining water and electricity in an electrolyzer. Hydrogen is stored on site in tanks and dispensed to the fuel cell powered vehicles through a dispenser that looks much like a typical gas pump. Much of the electricity used to convert water to pure hydrogen is produced on site by the 100kW photo voltaic (solar panel) array that shades parked cars around the station. As part of the programming portion of the project, Mogavero suggested the inclusion of a visible public education area. This area will be designed to house exhibit information illustrating how hydrogen is produced on site and how fuel cell vehicles work. Fuel cell vehicles produce only water as a by-product and thus emit none of the common vehicle related pollutants. This station will serve as part of the “Hydrogen Highway” that is envisioned to someday stretch the length of California. Mogavero produced schematic drawings and visual simulations of the site to be used for bidding during the design-build portion of the project.

Work

Greyhound Bus Terminal (Sacramento)

Our firm led a team of design professionals who are passionate about sustainable design to implement an integrated design approach for building, energy, and water systems to provide a high-level of comfort, indoor air quality, day lighting, and occupant satisfaction with very low operating costs. Using collaborative integrated design practices and strategies, the project’s ecological footprint met USGBC LEED Silver standards. The project site is located in the Richards Boulevard Redevelopment Plan area of the City of Sacramento. The project will house bus terminal operations, serving customer needs between closure of the current facility and the ultimate creation of the Sacramento Intermodal Transportation Facility in the Railyards. Future reuse of the building was considered in the building’s design. As a basis for design, Greyhound gave the team the option to use one of its prefabricated modular building designs or build a custom building within a restricted budget. After review of the options, our team settled on the use of a pre-engineered steel building that can be completely disassembled and rebuilt. The steel used has a high recycled content, and as well can be easily recycled. All components are assembled with fasteners with very little use of adhesives which increases the potential for reuse. The building’s aesthetic draws from classic Greyhound station design with new interpretations. The exterior insulated metal panels use standard colors in a pattern emulating a bus in motion. At the center of the building, a high roof and glass wall facing the street celebrates the comings and goings of people while announcing the building to the neighborhood at large.

Work

Brookfield School

Brookfield School is a private K-8 school, best known for strong academics, personalized student attention, and fostering a strong sense of community among students and their families. Brookfield’s mission is for students to master a core curriculum and excel at higher levels of education. Mogavero Architects created a site and building master plan that separates grade levels while demonstrating sustainable site development and building design practices, fostering student stewardship and a ‘green’ education with the goal of becoming a ‘net zero’ facility. Classroom facilities include computer labs, an art and music room, and ancillary and support spaces. The site plan includes intimate and large spaces, a courtyard for school ‘community events’, a regulation soccer field and an outdoor active play area. Very large, existing, heritage trees on site were preserved and incorporated into outdoor ‘rooms’ that serve dual purposes for playing and teaching. Site circulation is balanced, with efficient parking and safe student drop off areas, coupled with sidewalks that are separated from the street as well as bike parking within the secure site.

Work

CSUS Ramona Village

Our firm was chosen to help California State University Sacramento create a master plan for a faculty and staff housing village southeast of the main campus in an emerging enterprise zone for clean tech and green companies. The proposed 25-acre, mixed-use neighborhood will be within walking distance of the campus and provide a mix of residential, retail and commercial uses in what will be a lively pedestrian-oriented environment. This new community will provide CSUS with additional drawing power for recruitment of faculty and staff who may view the region’s housing prices as a deterrent in their decision to relocate to Sacramento. The master planning process coordinated the improvement of nearby infrastructure as well as development of an ‘innovation center’ surrounding the site. With careful attention to circulation patterns, the village is composed of intimate lanes with small neighborhood parks that direct users to a mixed use village main street. Park and recreation spaces within the site will create a sense of community for residents. A major retail district on the eastern edge of the development will provide a barrier for housing from a heavily traveled, adjacent street. The project’s marketing gateway will respond to the existing Granite Regional Park and offices as well as the Power Inn light rail station which lie east, and directly adjacent, to the site.

Work

CSUS Dining Commons Renovation

Mogavero Architects developed a master plan and completed the first phase of construction documentation and administration for the renovation of the CSU Sacramento Dining Commons. Originally built forty years ago, the building was in dire need of a refresh. The first phase included the renovation of the large dining room and provided accessibility upgrades. The second phase included the renovation of the food service areas, an update to the building circulation, mechanical updates, rebranding and signage. The ceiling and lighting systems were completely replaced with new suspended acoustic clouds that float between existing wood beams. Daylight harvesting strategies were used with dimmable pendant light fixtures in conjunction with lighting control systems. Additional thermal insulation, ceiling fans and a recessed movie screen complete the ceiling renovation. All furnishings were replaced, providing floor level and elevated seating dining areas as well as new fixed booth and banquette seating arrangements. A soft seating area was also developed at the center of the dining room to provide for a more casual setting while making good use of natural light provided by an existing monitor skylight. The existing concrete block walls just above fixed seating areas were covered with acoustical panels that feature custom silkscreen images that portray life on campus. The flooring was stripped and refinished with a new concrete topping that was ground, stained and polished using a pattern that reflects the existing exposed beams above. Ecologically sensitive techniques were combined with products that kept green principals in mind throughout the project. Careful attention to construction systems, techniques and scheduling was required to be constructed during a short two month summer break while the kitchen continued to provide meals for summer conferencing.

Work

UC Davis Segundo Student Housing

Our concept for developing a community to house students in an enhanced academic and social environment was realized through the careful siting of the buildings relative to existing buildings as well as the site in context with its surroundings as a gateway to the Davis campus at large. Pedestrian circulation and common spaces in and out of doors provide opportunities for academic and social interaction as well as the opportunity to develop a corner of the UC Davis campus that had previously lacked identity. Throughout the development of the program for the 92,000 square foot structure, our firm worked closely with a design committee as well as student housing staff to ensure that the project responded to the ever-evolving culture of University student housing. Central to the mission of student-oriented residences is the importance of community, therefore, the project was designed to embrace community at all levels: from the relationship between two roommates to student interaction with the campus as a whole by means of a central plaza, to the way the building relates to its neighbors. Using natural light and air, modified by individual controls, the residence spaces in Segundo provide pleasant, healthy environments in which to live and study. The Segundo student housing project also addresses the social context of the space, maximizing the possibility for students to have choices about personal connection and privacy. The use of operable windows and shades for student residents in their rooms and common areas provide an important level of personalized comfort for residents and visitors alike.

Work

UC Davis Cuarto Dining Commons

Mogavero was the architect for the Design Build Team with Valley Commercial Contractors to complete bridging documents for this extensive renovation, including the conversion of the dining commons from a traditional cafeteria style facility to contemporary, themed platform dining established in the Segundo and Tercero dining commons. The dining commons embraces an open “public market” design with final food preparation viewable to patrons, and includes five food distribution areas: a granary and bakery, a grill for specialty hot foods, a pizza and pasta station, a soup and salad bar, and a market station for self serve and bistro-style entrees. The first floor has an open feeling, with daylight enlivening the the main dining area through a large curved light well which penetrates the second floor, combined with the curved path through the various food counters,  creating a contemporary vibe and smooth flow throughout the commons. The second floor has traditional restaurant seating, with banquettes, separate, skylit quiet rooms, and lounge-style seating along with larger tables that allow for more intimate dining experiences.  A balcony on the second floor allows for al fresco dining.  Cuarto Commons has become a campus focal point, showcasing sustainable design and food service operations that will be implemented at other campus locations.

Work

1200 Park Avenue

On a redeveloped brownfield site along a busy commercial corridor, 1200 Park Avenue provides affordable senior housing as an integral part of Chico’s revitalization strategy. Covering an entire city block, the architectural design presents an urban, three-story face to the Avenue and a two-story residential scaled facade to the single-family residential street behind. Heritage trees were preserved throughout the site. The project includes 107-units in 2- and 3-story apartment buildings on 1.46 acres. One-and two-bedroom units range from 560 to 800 square feet with a total project square footage of 89,000 square feet. The complex incorporates numerous common areas allowing residents to interact, thereby creating a community and diminishing the likelihood of isolation for residents. Exceeding Title 24 by 20%, each unit has its own balcony or porch with highly transparent common living spaces and kitchens, while offices enliven the street level. Covered walkways and pergolas provide outdoor space for resident interaction and shaded outdoor activities. Operable windows wrap the project to allow for natural ventilation and surveillance, providing defensible space and eyes on the street.