A three-story “library-plus” building at California State University, East Bay (CSUEB) that ties together the upper and lower campuses was recently completed. The 100,977-sf facility, known as the Collaborative Opportunities for Research & Engagement (“CORE”) Building, is one of the busiest libraries in the CSU system. The previous library served 1.2 million visitors annually.
The new building offers students 700 more seats and 21 more group study rooms than the facility it replaced. Much more than a library, CORE brings traditional library services together with learning, innovation, and technology; collaboration and engagement; and social justice, diversity and sustainability.
It houses the Student Center for Academic Achievement (SCAA—for peer tutoring and study groups) and the Hub for Entrepreneurship, both of which help students become self-directed learners in the Information Age economy.
Equipped with state-of-the-art information and audio-visual technologies, the building provides diversity of spaces to support study rooms and collaborative commons along with multimedia production and library spaces for print and digital collections, archives, and special collections.
Generous open space and fenestration help knit the interior into a cohesive sum of many essential parts. In anticipation of earning LEED Gold certification, the building’s HVAC system aims for healthy indoor air quality, high levels of user controllability, and exceptional energy efficiency.
Each of CORE’s three stories offers a different approach to learning designed to help develop lifelong skills. The library is on Level Two. Level One houses a collaboration zone and innovation labs. Level Three is home to the SCAA and a roof deck provides an additional place for quiet study.
The visual dialogue within the building’s interior emphasizes the relationship between spaces that serve both the academic and social needs of students. CORE’s structure and functionality were designed to help CSUEB hone a distinct identity in the Bay Area’s rich educational landscape and enable it to be viewed as something more than a “commuter school.”
On the building team:
Owner and/or developer: California State University, East Bay
Architect of record, design architect: Carrier Johnson + Culture (Exterior)
Associate Architect: Anderson Brulé Architects (Interior)
MEP engineer: Integral Group
Structural engineer: Forell/Elsesser Engineers
General contractor/construction manager: Rudolph and Sletten
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Sep 28, 2023
Top 100 University Building Construction Firms for 2023
Turner Construction, Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., STO Building Group, Suffolk Construction, and Skanska USA top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest university sector contractors and construction management firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking includes revenue for all university/college-related buildings except student residence halls, sports/recreation facilities, laboratories, S+T-related buildings, parking facilities, and performing arts centers (revenue for those buildings are reported in their respective Giants 400 ranking).
University Buildings | Sep 27, 2023
Top 170 University Building Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, CannonDesign, Page Southerland Page, SmithGroup, and Ayers Saint Gross top the ranking of the nation's largest university sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Affordable Housing | Sep 25, 2023
3 affordable housing projects that serve as social catalysts
Trish Donnally, Associate Principal, Perkins Eastman, shares insights from three transformative affordable housing projects.
Adaptive Reuse | Sep 19, 2023
Transforming shopping malls into 21st century neighborhoods
As we reimagine the antiquated shopping mall, Marc Asnis, AICP, Associate, Perkins&Will, details four first steps to consider.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 115 Architecture Engineering Firms for 2023
Stantec, HDR, Page, HOK, and Arcadis North America top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
2023 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
A record 552 AEC firms submitted data for BD+C's 2023 Giants 400 Report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 175 Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, HKS, Perkins&Will, Corgan, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Higher Education | Aug 22, 2023
How boldly uniting divergent disciplines boosts students’ career viability
CannonDesign's Charles Smith and Patricia Bou argue that spaces designed for interdisciplinary learning will help fuel a strong, resilient generation of students in an ever-changing economy.
Adaptive Reuse | Aug 17, 2023
How to design for adaptive reuse: Don’t reinvent the wheel
Gresham Smith demonstrates the opportunities of adaptive reuse, specifically reusing empty big-box retail and malls, many of which sit unused or underutilized across the country.
Higher Education | Aug 7, 2023
Building a better academic workplace
Gensler's David Craig and Melany Park show how agile, efficient workplaces bring university faculty and staff closer together while supporting individual needs.
