Cañada College Kinesiology and Wellness Building Tour

Cañada College Kinesiology and Wellness Building Tour

The Kinesiology & Wellness Center (KWC) at Cañada College is one of the very first progressive design-build projects to be undertaken by a California Community College District. A long-established campus of SMCCCD, Cañada College is located on a beautiful woodland site with breathtaking views. This LEED Gold-certified wellness and kinesiology center is a central hub for movement studies, competitive sports, and fitness, as well as, a sustainable, flagship building that is highly visible from the nearby freeway and marks the campus’ southern entrance.

This event begins with a presentation of the project by  ELS Architecture and Urban Design and Blach Construction. They will discuss the project program, design concepts, design-build project delivery, and strategies utilized to achieve LEED Gold certification.   Following the presentation, attendees will break up into two smaller groups for a tour the building and site with project team members. The program will offer attendees an in-depth opportunity to learn about the design and construction of this award-winning, design-built, higher-education wellness building facility.

Meet our Presenters!

Mike Grzanowski
Vice President, Operations

Mike Grzanowski joined Blach Construction in 2009. After more than a decade of experience on several of Blach’s largest and most complex projects, he was promoted to Vice President, Preconstruction. In overseeing Blach’s in-house estimating, MEP and Virtual Design & Construction teams, while being intricately involved in Blach project pursuits, he demonstrated a keen ability to strategically connect business development, preconstruction and operations groups. His industry savvy, coupled with his high degree of technical acumen and dexterity at leading teams, developing employees and understanding market requirements led to increased responsibility as Vice President, Operations. In this expanded role, Mike will continue to manage preconstruction efforts and will assume oversight of overall project management and operations, which includes strategic planning and staffing for all projects.
Mike is a trusted advisor to clients, colleagues and trade partners. As his resume – and many Blach clients – will attest, Mike is a strategic thinker who is highly skilled at identifying solutions to complex construction challenges throughout every phase of a project – from design to preconstruction and into substantial completion. His detailed and thorough approach is instrumental in developing and transparently delivering preliminary construction budgets that ultimately result in detailed estimates, a comprehensive GMP and a final project that is aligned with client requirements. Client-facing, Mike is a service-minded collaborator who works tirelessly to ensure Blach projects consistently meet client programming, budget and schedule expectations.
An active member of the Design-Build Institute of America, Mike also belongs to the U.S. Green Building Council. He holds a B.S. in Real Estate and Construction Management from the University of Denver.

Susan Vutz, AIA, LEED AP, DBIA

Susan Vutz is an Associate Principal at ELS. She joined ELS in 2015 and brings over 30 years of design and project management experience on academic, civic, healthcare, institutional, commercial, and residential projects. Susan is a DBIA-certified professional and was project manager for the Cañada College Kinesiology & Wellness Center, which has received many design honors from organizations including AIA San Mateo County, AIA East Bay, and the Design-Build Institute of America’s Western Pacific Region. She is currently working on the City of Redwood City’s new Veterans Memorial Senior Center & Joint YMCA. A longtime advocate for the benefits of sustainable design, Susan is highly experienced in the management of complex projects that obtain LEED and ZNE certification. An adjunct faculty member at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, she has taught classes on architecture and construction. Susan received a Master of Architecture from the UC Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Ántonia Bowman, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C, Assoc. DBIA

Ántonia Bowman is a Senior Associate at ELS.  She joined the firm in 2017 and is a licensed architect in California and Texas. At ELS, Ántonia was instrumental in the completion of the award-winning Kinesiology & Wellness Center at Cañada College. During her architecture career, she has worked on a variety of projects for colleges and universities, retail and mixed-use developments, and civic and cultural institutions. She recently earned an Associate DBIA designation. A core team member of AIA San Francisco’s Equity by Design, Ántonia is a committed advocate for greater visibility and equitable opportunities for women, LGBTQ+, people of color, and others who are underrepresented in the profession. She received a Master of Architecture from The University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. in Studio Art from Smith College.

Learning Objectives:

After attending this program, participants will be able to:

• Describe the design approach taken to create the new Kinesiology & Wellness Building.
• Discuss how the design-built delivery method contributed to making the Kinesiology & Wellness Building a successful project.
• Identify the sustainable design features that were implemented in the design of the fitness center to meet the CalGreen Building Code and achieve LEED Gold certification.
• Illustrate how factors such as durablilty, maintenance environmental impact, performance, and aesthetics informed the specification of building products, materials and finishes.

Wednesday, September 13th   3:30 – 5:30 pm with check in at 3:15 pm
AIA Members- $25     Non members – $40     Students – Free

4200 Farm Hill Blvd., Redwood City, CA

To see a map– click on the address above! Enlarge to see Kinesiology and Wellness Building location.

2 LU Pending
Image Credits: Bruce Damonte Photography & Lawrence Anderson