Nestled in Southern California, the City of Garden Grove embodies the synergy between urban development and its agrarian heritage. Once flowing with orange groves and strawberry fields, it has evolved into a thriving urban hub, while safeguarding open spaces. AC Martin was selected to design their new Civic Center developed via a P3 Public-Private Partnership with Edgemoor and Clark Construction, inclusive of a 104,000 SF police station, 4-level parking structure, and a 2.7-acre park.

The design is composed of a unitized curtainwall “glass box” that sits atop a solid base of precision block with a “ribbon” that hugs the building massing meandering from the exterior façade to the interior lobby and reaches a crescendo at the stair tower which serves as an illuminated beacon to the City. The “ribbon” represents the fabric of the community – a high-functioning city whose citizens support the local government, choose to fund the police, and participate in mass for City-sponsored community events. The development of the new police station and new park will reinvigorate the city center to create a welcoming, people-centric super block that can support 24/7 community activities including daily exercise routines, tai-chi classes, outdoor movies and concerts, night markets, food trucks, and more.

The double-height public lobby includes robust cast-in-place concrete columns symbolizing the strength of the process. Transparent glass promotes trust and accessibility between the police, government, and the community. Adjacent to the public lobby is a Community Room that is available for public and police events, providing space for meetings, training courses, and banquet functions. The interior spaces are designed to be durable, serviceable, and functional, allowing for future flexibility and growth.

The police station, an essential services building, can also be transformed into an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) providing a central command location for Garden Grove and its surrounding communities during a natural disaster or heightened event.

Located in the City of Lancaster, California, Imagine Village II provides 80 units of affordable housing to meet the special needs for youth and young families at risk. The project has a focus specifically for transition aged/ homeless youth. This new 3-story development is located within the urban core of the City with access to public transportation and is within walking distance to social services and business in the area. Constructed in a U-shape around a centralized courtyard with access to the site via a gated driveway leading to a centralized parking lot. 

As part of the design, there are several support services such as management offices for staff, a community room with TV lounge, dining area and kitchen, a computer lab/ work area, on-site laundry facilities, bicycle parking, community garden and dog run.

The new Engineering and Technology building for the College of Natural Resources and Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt will feature teaching and research labs, faculty offices, and student support spaces designed to foster collaboration. The goal is to create an environment where students, faculty, and staff can thrive at their highest potential, promoting opportunities for interaction, collaboration, and spontaneous encounters, all while reinforcing Cal Poly Humboldt’s mantra of “Learning by Doing.”

The architectural design incorporates passive strategies that respond to the natural forces of the site, taking a balanced approach that honors regional heritage and reflects Cal Poly Humboldt’s unique identity. The primary structural and aesthetic components include Exposed Mass Timber and Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), which offer a warm and welcoming atmosphere for the new Engineering and Technology building. The design features curtain wall glazing paired with a rain screen or concrete envelope system, intentionally exposing the wood material to the rest of the campus and creating an inviting character.

Based on the success of Phase I and II student housing, CSUN hired AC Martin for Phase 3, including 200 beds and a major renovation of the main outdoor dining courtyard for campus housing residents. The project will also include a large study lounge, classroom, two multi-purpose rooms for programmed events, a large eat-in communal kitchen, a mail/package room for all on-campus students, and the Housing Facilities offices. Phases I and II are a 4-minute walk from Phase III. Phase III is directly adjacent to CSUN’s 1990’s dining hall. Our project will upgrade and renovate the dining courtyard and connect it to the Phase III student housing courtyard. This area will be the new social HUB for freshmen with a large, shaded trellis enclosing the two courtyards and creating student life event spaces. The communal kitchen was doubled in size allowing for larger student groups to cook together. Phase III also has the package/mail room for all on-campus housing to draw students to this new social HUB. Phase III is targeting completion in late summer 2025.

See Phase II Student Housing at CSU Northridge

See Phase I Student Housing at CSU Northridge

Building upon the vision and success of the first phase of student housing on the CSU Northridge campus, the second phase of the housing program has been completed by the AC Martin and CW Driver design-build team. The new complex consists of 100,000 GSF of space featuring 396 beds, spacious recreation and lounge areas, a coffee house—named the ‘Freudian Sip’—as well as study areas and laundry facilities. 

Cultivating a campus lifestyle appropriate for freshman students, the new housing project focuses on community elements within the complex such as a common kitchen, classroom and learning center, recreation lounge and multipurpose room, as well as outdoor courtyards with fire pits, barbecues, seating and activity spaces, and extended patio space. The new building design provides a variety of open spaces to encourage socialization and living clusters sized and configured to allow students to become part of a ‘family’ where they feel connected and supported.

With this project, the university has completed construction of approximately 800-bed spaces, which is roughly 1/3 of the masterplan goal of 2,500 beds total. 

See Phase I Student Housing at CSU Northridge

See Phase III Student Housing at CSU Northridge