Prospect High School was Aedis’ first K-12 Mass Timber project. The school was transformed with the addition of two, single story buildings and approximately 1.5 acres of site work that seamlessly connects with the existing campus and adds approximately 20,000 SF of indoor and outdoor learning areas. The importance of nature and biophilia for student health and wellness was a major focus for this project and the designs truly reflect that commitment. A strong indoor-outdoor connection was woven into the design, and Cross Laminated Timber, a natural, renewable, sustainable, and low carbon footprint material, was used for the roof structure. It creates a warm, pleasant and biophilic space that promotes an increase in student performance as well as boosts the energy level and overall well-being of the occupants. Project highlights include: spacious classrooms, maker spaces and science labs with large covered, outdoor collaboration spaces for extended learning.
South Valley Middle School was built in the mid 1950’s as a high school and later converted to a middle school. The 21-acre campus, located in a diverse neighborhood, had reached its’ end of life and needed replacement. The new “Village Concept” design includes a completely new look for the school and relocates the entry from a congested neighborhood street to another, providing much needed traffic relief and a safer drop off zone for the students. The school now has new classrooms with outdoor learning areas, science lab and makers space classrooms, a signature administration building, a Multi-Use and library building, and new gymnasium with a weight room and indoor climbing wall. Tiger Quad, at the heart of the school, depicts the school’s mascot’s tiger paw, surrounded by the new outdoor learning spaces. This project was constructed on an occupied campus and was phased to allow for minimum occupancy disruption.
The Apollo project is the development of a 406-unit, mixed-use tower to serve as the western entrance of San Jose’s vibrant downtown. Currently in the design phase, this project is undergoing programming and entitlement. Located adjacent to Google’s Downtown West project, the Apollo building is going to be a 16-story tower at 32 Stockton Avenue in San Jose. It incorporates eco friendly cross-laminated timber and at ground level, the project’s pedestrian pathways will entice with approximately 6,500 square feet of commercial retail.
Utilizing our proprietary TimberQuestTM building system, Aedis, along with our local contractor partner, was able to erect 4 kindergarten classroom buildings within 10 weeks, ensuring the classes were ready for school opening. The building was constructed off-site, and assembled on campus in a matter of days. TimberQuestTM, a CLT based building, has natural exposed wood and large floor to ceiling windows, thus incorporating biophillic elements throughout, all of which have been proven to increase performance, decrease stress, and create a sense of calm and peace within the space.
Parkside is a newly constructed Zero Net Energy Elementary School. Overall, this project included the construction of a 2-story classroom building, a Multi-Use Building and the surrounding site work. The campus includes a library with a tech center, classrooms equipped with the latest AV equipment, an expansive school office and lobby, multiple playground ares, collaborative work rooms and wide open hallways to encourage multi-classroom engagement. The Multi-Use Building has a production stage, indoor physical education equipment/facilities, houses the full-service cafeteria, and features large windows for ample daylighting. We were fortunate to lead the charge in the design of this ZNE school, complete with LED lights, solar panels, efficient AC units, and ceiling fans on an all-electric campus.
As the first ‘Tall Timber’ project in the Bay Area designed under the 2022 California Building Code that allows taller structures using Cross-laminated Timber (CLT), Madera Apartments breaks many new grounds in mid-rise housing construction. The project consists of 8 stories, with seven stories of CLT (Type IV-C) over 1 story of concrete construction (Type I-A). To avoid expensive under or above ground parking and the loss of real estate due to vehicular ramps, semi-automatic parking puzzle lifts are provided. To activate the building for passers-by, the design places a co-working space along with the residential lobby with storefront windows facing the important West San Carlos Street corridor. Apartments are designed for a shared living arrangement, with a bedroom-bathroom parity to maximize leasing viability. Some units have exterior balconies facing the streets or the interior courtyard. A city view deck is provided on the top floor, with view of Downtown San Jose and the foothills beyond. Wood is present throughout to celebrate the innovative use of timber in the project, such as the exposed surface of CLT panels as ceiling finish in the apartment units.
This building, formerly the West Prussia Building, is a historical landmark in downtown San Jose. It was designed in the 1920s by a then-prominent local architect named W.H. Weeks of the firm Weeks & Day. The office space used to be carved up into 18 studio apartments, with low ceilings and a maze-like network of hallways. Our adaptive reuse project was completed from the ground up, with an office space sitting on the top floor, additional office space on the second floor, and the SoFA Market on the first floor.
Beginning as an ordinary project with a simple program and tight budget, the LeyVa Middle School Net Zero Administration Building is a testament to the importance of teamwork and communication in supporting innovative solutions. By asking the simple question of “How about Net-Zero?”, the Administration Building was transformed into California’s first Net-Zero Energy/Emissions (NZEE) public school building and later into a master plan that would tranform the entire campus.
Inspired by the successful completion of the new administration building as the first Net Zero Energy/Emissions public school building in California; one of the priorities of updating and implementing the Master Plan in 2011 was to continue to transform the unattractive LeyVa Middle School campus into a magnet. This was done by implementing a forward-thinking Bulldog Tech (A New Tech Network School) program and connecting students to the wider multi-generational and ethnically diverse community. The campus would no longer reflect the last 40 years, but shine a light toward the future by becoming a community asset.
Symbolizing the tradition of game-changing invention and thoughtful respect for local history, this all but forgotten campus continues to receive visitors yearning to take the lessons of transformation home with them. These visitors include: District and State-level leaders, design and teaching professionals, local news reporters and a wide variety of other Bay Area industries.
The existing Hillview Library in an East San Jose neighborhood was outdated and severely undersized. The key challenge was to create a strong civic image, while making the building visually compatible with its neighborhood. Significant attention was paid to vary the building’s massing to avoid a monotonous, institutional appearance. Building forms and colors are playful yet restrained. Interior activities are visible through the glazed entrance wall connecting inside and outside.
Sustainable design elements include bioswales, a storm water detention pond, reduced heat island effect, zero light pollution, low irrigation water usage, superior thermal envelope, superior HVAC performance (30% above ASHRAE), non-HCFC refrigeration system, construction waste recycling, recycled-content building materials from local sources, indoor air quality control both during and after construction, and extensive daylighting.