UC Santa Cruz Kresge College Phase II Renovations

Coffman provided fire protection engineering services for Phase II of the total renovation of the Kresge College at UC Santa Cruz. Phase II was comprised of the renovation of 12 existing buildings and the construction of two new buildings with a cumulative square footage of approximately 157,000 sf, including 124,000 sf of new construction and 32,800 sf of renovations. The project involved the addition of an extra floor atop seven of the existing buildings and an expansion of their floorplates to support ADA compliance. The two new buildings are a Type IV-C mass timber residential halls for students and a two-story mass timber town hall building. The intent of the renovations and new construction was to improve the overall student experience at Kresge College and to increase capacity, sustainability, and energy efficiency of the historic post-modern-style buildings. The new facilities provide students with modern amenities and comfortable living spaces while preserving the unique architectural features and cultural identity of Kresge College.

Coffman provided fire and life safety code consulting for all Phase II buildings and assisted the design team with justifying many non-compliant or interpretive code considerations with the campus fire marshal. Project challenges included, but were not limited to, fire setback distances between the buildings, exterior exit stairway clearances due to the existing variations in topography onsite, and coordination of the new mass timber requirements associated with new construction types.

Renderings provided by EHDD Architecture.