Comstock's magazine 0620 - June June 2020 | Página 61

YUBA
COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
Business, Nursing
& Public Safety Building
Architect: LPAS
Project cost: $22 million
Completed: 2011
Yuba Community College in Marysville was in need of a new building to
house its nursing, police and fire academy, and business departments.
Due to inadequate facilities, the police academy had been shut down for
four years. The architects were charged with coming up with a design
that would include as much space as possible for each of the disciplines.
LPAS’ solution is a 45,000-square-foot structure that serves as a
modern training center for the health and public safety professions. The
single-story project includes smart classrooms, as well as specialized laboratory
facilities with modern technology and equipment to meet industry
needs. One of the biggest design challenges with the project was the
site, which is on the east side of the college and removed from the center
of the campus. To connect it, the architects designed a campus walk,
utilizing pathways, landscaping, seating and a mesh network for Wi-Fi.
The front entryway includes a gathering space and an assembly
area for flag-raising drills and graduations. A jail cell was constructed
for the police academy, along with an exercise room, space for martial
arts training and a large lecture hall. A state-of-the-art fire training
tower was designed for the fire academy. “The fire training tower is
one of the best in the region and is used to teach cadets how to move
through a building and put out a fire,” says LPAS Principal Ken Bauer.
The two-story tower includes a burn room and stairs to the upper level
with replaceable elements, like plywood-covered holes where cadets
practice cutting through a roof.
Several labs were created for the nursing program, including a critical
care unit, wound care unit and traditional unit with hospital beds. An
outbuilding was constructed to store and maintain the fire trucks, police
cars and ambulances.
PHOTO BY DON SATTERLEE
June 2020 | comstocksmag.com 61