studio gang completes hybrid mass timber expansion of california college of the arts

a new vision for california college of the arts

Studio Gang has completed the latest expansion for the California College of the Arts (CCA) campus in San Francisco. This newly built hybrid mass timber facility supports art and design education while setting a new benchmark in sustainable architecture. By connecting to CCA’s existing main academic building, the new structure creates a indoor-outdoor space that encourages collaboration among students, faculty, and diverse creative disciplines.

The expansion was designed to encourage interdisciplinary interaction and inspire new modes of creativity. Jeanne Gang describes the building as a place ‘to inspire new forms of making through unexpected interactions between disciplines.’ With a variety of specialized spaces and open layouts, the building lends cross-disciplinary collaborations, bringing together students and faculty from CCA’s thirty-four art and design programs — including fields as varied as ceramics, textiles, architecture, and animation.

images © Jason O’Rear

Mass Timber Pavilions for Classrooms and Studios

Studio Gang’s 82,305-square-foot expansion for the California College of the Arts (CCA) is anchored by a concrete ground level. The design team optimizes this level for workshops and fabrication spaces that accommodate physically demanding creative practices. Large, adaptable work areas and two spacious maker yards — carved from the concrete base — provide generous sunlight and ventilation, making it easier for artists and designers to work collaboratively in a conducive environment.

Rising above the concrete base, two mass timber pavilions provide classroom and studio spaces, as well as a new home for the CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts. These pavilions open onto a green, terraced landscape that connects the building’s upper and lower levels, encouraging informal outdoor gatherings and group work. Deep balconies on each pavilion act as shaded walkways and open-air study areas, where students can enjoy San Francisco’s mild climate year-round. The exposed mass timber structure, among the first of its kind in California, features a unique eccentric braced frame system that highlights the natural beauty and structural functionality of the timber.

the hybrid mass timber structure connects to CCA’s main academic building

Sustainable Design and Reduced Carbon Footprint

Sustainability is at the core of the design, with strategies by Studio Gang that benefit both the environment and students and staff of the California College of the Arts. The building’s hybrid mass timber structure cuts the carbon footprint by nearly half compared to conventional structures. Key facilities for heavy equipment and physically intensive activities are strategically concentrated on the ground floor, optimizing structural load distribution and future adaptability. What’s more, passive climate control features, including self-shading facades and night-flush ventilation, reduce the building’s reliance on mechanical cooling, while systems are prepped to support a closed-loop, net-positive building in the future.

concrete ground level spaces support intensive art-making and large-scale fabrication spaces

two mass timber pavilions house classrooms within exposed timber frames

deep balconies provide shaded outdoor areas for learning and gathering in San Francisco’s mild climate

passive design strategies like night-flush ventilation naturally cool the building and lower energy demands

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project info:

name: California College of the Arts’ San Francisco Campus expansion

architect: Studio Gang Architecture | @studiogang

location: San Francisco, California

client: California College of the Arts (CCA) | @cacollegeofarts

photography: © Jason O’Rear | @jasonorear

mass timber: Nordic Structures

exterior cladding: Kebony

curtain wall: YKK

podium: CEMEX