The project is located on a vacant, three acre site that has been identified as a future transit-oriented development with educational, retail, residential and public transportation components. The Rancho Cordova Center is the anchor for redevelopment in the area, and our master plan concepts took advantage of the potential for a variety of interaction and resources.
Once the master plan was complete, SKW turned the planning effort to the site level and began to study appropriate placement and massing of the building structures, as well as construction phasing. With the variety of mixed-use influences affecting the site, it became apparent that a “livable campus” concept would be greatly successful in this area. To accomplish this, we strategically placed the buildings at the front of the site along a major roadway with limited parking located at the back of the site. The site layout gives prominence to the campus as a community landmark, encourages the use of public transportation, and engages the surrounding community and businesses.
The program for the first phase includes 24,000 square feet of general classroom and laboratory spaces, meeting rooms, bookstore, student services areas and administration spaces. The spaces are designed with inherent flexibility to accommodate different and varying uses over time. The Rancho Cordova Center is the hub of mixed-use development; as such SKW’s master planning and design solutions physically encourage and restore a vital community connection. The Center capitalizes on sustainability opportunities available through existing infrastructure.
