Aedis Architects and Landmark Construction rise to the challenge, delivering Bell Hill Academy’s program needs and complying with accessibility codes on an exceptionally small, steeply sloping site, with a limited budget.
At last, after more than 90 years, the students at Grass Valley School District’s Bell Hill Academy – the longest continuously operating public school in California – can enjoy a fully equipped multipurpose facility. The new building is complete with a dining and assembly space, warming and prep kitchen, restrooms, library, and storage.
The story begins with the passage of Measure D, the District’s first local bond since 1967, and a small amount of State modernization eligibility. The school’s needs, identified in their 2017 District Master Plan were clear, and Aedis’s design team worked with the District, and its Management and Builder partners to efficiently shoehorn the taxpayer-funded program into the space available.
The 4,000 s.f. of program had to fit into a 9,900 s.f. area on the campus with slopes approaching 40%, and a vertical drop of 20 feet from one boundary to the opposite. The accessibility strategy was to locate the program at an elevation to match the main campus, thus serving the most students continuously, and establish accessible routes to and from the rest of the campus. To accommodate the small area available, the footprint is configured to dovetail with existing buildings to create discrete outdoor learning and gathering spaces and to comply with building separation requirements. Also, the building mass (roof heights) were reduced at the perimeter property lines to respect the neighbors and protect their daylight planes.
Budgeting construction in the rural gold country is challenging because the scarcity of a skilled and trained workforce, the costs of transporting materials from distribution hubs, and the physical challenges of hilly and forested areas. The whole team collaborated to explore alternative delivery methods and modular building systems. In the end, the most economical route took advantage of the local labor pool and conventional building methods to maximize competitive pricing and labor availability.
Over the next 90 years, generations of students at Bell Hill Academy will eat, learn, and perform in their beautifully daylit facility, and will come to appreciate the commitment of the Grass Valley School District in bringing it into being.
With grateful appreciation we recognize Sri, Matt and Adrian with their much deserved promotions. Their hard work and dedication to clients, their jobs and Aedis has certainly been noted! Congrats to these fine Aediseans. We are lucky to have you on our team!
It is our pleasure to introduce our newest Aedisians. Each of them brings incredible talent, drive, and creativity to their roles. We look forward to watching them grow professionally and contribute to the success of Aedis’ projects and clients. Welcome to the team!
The Mare Island Technology (MIT) Academy Project in Vallejo has traveled a circuitous road to overcome a variety of project challenges. With the ongoing support and enthusiasm of the devoted MIT administration and Board, the Aedis team expects DSA approval this Spring and construction to begin by Summer. We can’t wait for this very deserving group of students to enjoy their new campus. MIT is truly an inspirational program with even more inspirational people! The project includes a new campus for the Charter School’s Middle and High School programs with a new administration building, a multiuse gymnasium, and specialized classroom buildings.
Next week, #AedisArchitects #EliseKoufos will join #BradFannin and Dr. #ShawnTennenbaum on a panel at the 2022 CASH Conference in Sacramento, CA. The topic will focus on the seldom discussed, and often underestimated importance of #trust. The panel will present #bestpractices and #lessonslearned from many successful projects on the extensive San Benito High School campus.
Join us!
Trust: The Foundation of a Great Project.
Meeting Room 1
Thursday 2/24, 10:45 a.m.
for more information https://cashnet.org/page/AC_AnnualConference
Aedis Architects’ very own Tricia Tanimura graduated from The School Facilities Leadership Academy (SFLA) last week at the annual CASH Conference in Sacramento. SFLA is a collaborative effort between the Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH) and the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT), with the goal of developing education professionals into extraordinary leaders. Her 9-month immersive, virtual and in-person program allowed her the opportunity to grow her leadership, management, collaboration and operations skill sets. Congrats, Tricia, and the entire Cohort 11 of The CASH School Facilities Leadership Academy!
Silicon Valley Business Journal named Aedis Architects the 5th largest architectural firm in the Silicon Valley region. The annual Architectural Firms List ranks design firms based on 2021 revenue from local work. Aedis is honored to hold on to spot #5, for the third year running.
#SiliconValleyBusinessJournal #BookOfLists #SanJoseArchitects #SiliconValley
Through our Aedis University we offer several seminars a month, all to share professional knowledge and continued training from both internal and external sources. Aediseans can get continuing education credits, learn from and present to each other, and participate in robust roundtable discussions on relevant topics. As a result, Aediseans are well informed on recent code and regulatory changes, as well as embodying our culture of “always learning,” all to provide our clients and projects with the most well-rounded and professional expertise.
Ellis Elementary is being transformed.
The multi-phased renovation project is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2023-24 school year. Once finished, the students and staff will enjoy a new Multipurpose and Library building, a new 2-story classroom wing, and renovated kindergarten classroom administration areas. The collaborative design process–that included Aedis, school and community representatives, and the district administration–resulted in more than 20 iterations of the campus before an outcomes-based decision-making process settled on the solution. The final design is meticulously planned to help deliver educational outcomes, while still meeting budget and schedule requirements.