Colburn School of Performing Arts and Conservatory of Music School Expansion, Los Angeles, CA

As part of the redevelopment shaping the landscape of the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District, the school spearheaded an expansion of its existing facility. Syska Hennessy Group was selected to perform the building-systems engineering for the 326,000-sf campus expansion. The addition comprises two high-rise towers, one 10-story and one 12-story, connected by a glass-walled bridge.

High-performance building-technology solutions were incorporated into the expansion, primarily from an energy efficiency perspective. Full-occupancy lighting sensors were interspersed throughout the campus. The residential units include operable windows that trigger automatic shut-off fan-coil units when opened. High-efficiency air-handling units (AHUs) with variable-frequency drives, an energy management system and a low-temperature chilled-water system were employed. The building is tied into a municipal district chilled-water system, minimizing mechanical equipment space requirements within the campus.

The facility is a mixed-use, high-rise structure that includes a 360-space parking structure, acoustically sensitive academic spaces and administrative offices in the middle levels, and housing on the upper seven floors of the 12-story tower. The 140 apartment units, encompassing 88,886 sf, house conservatory students. Additional features in the complex include a 200-seat performance lab with control room and green room, a rehearsal hall, 50 practice rooms and a variety of instructional studios.
As part of the redevelopment shaping the landscape of the Downtown Los Angeles Arts District, the school spearheaded an expansion of its existing facility. Syska Hennessy Group was selected to perform the building-systems engineering for the 326,000-sf campus expansion. The addition comprises two high-rise towers, one 10-story and one 12-story, connected by a glass-walled bridge.

High-performance building-technology solutions were incorporated into the expansion, primarily from an energy efficiency perspective. Full-occupancy lighting sensors were interspersed throughout the campus. The residential units include operable windows that trigger automatic shut-off fan-coil units when opened. High-efficiency air-handling units (AHUs) with variable-frequency drives, an energy management system and a low-temperature chilled-water system were employed. The building is tied into a municipal district chilled-water system, minimizing mechanical equipment space requirements within the campus.

The facility is a mixed-use, high-rise structure that includes a 360-space parking structure, acoustically sensitive academic spaces and administrative offices in the middle levels, and housing on the upper seven floors of the 12-story tower. The 140 apartment units, encompassing 88,886 sf, house conservatory students. Additional features in the complex include a 200-seat performance lab with control room and green room, a rehearsal hall, 50 practice rooms and a variety of instructional studios.