Four long-awaited construction projects commenced at Laney College on Tuesday.
After waiting years for approval from the Division of the State Architect, several infrastructural upgrades commenced Tuesday at Laney College. Peralta employees, Laney students, and representatives from contracted construction companies celebrated the coming improvements to Laney’s library, learning resource center, theater and locker rooms with a groundbreaking event at the Laney Bistro.
The Division of the State Architect, the body which oversees the design and construction of state-owned and leased facilities, requires institutions to complete projects in the priority order that they set. They determine priority based on compliance with structural, accessibility, and fire and life safety codes.
According to Laney’s dean of liberal arts, Beth Maher, the theater will have a “black box” and a new proscenium, the frame that separates the audience from the stage.
Construction on the locker rooms and theater are tied to each other, due to shared foundational support elements between the two buildings.
Noll & Tam Architects co-founder Chris Noll said at the groundbreaking that the new library will be “spacious” and utilize glass walls to emphasize “natural light.” According to the company website, Noll is involved with the California Library Association and the American Library Association.
Laney is Peralta’s flagship campus. It was originally founded in 1927 as a trade school at 12th Street and Jefferson Street.
The college’s current location on Fallon Street was funded by voters in 1965 and officially opened in 1970, a few years before schools were federally required to be accessible.
The two laws that would make campus accessible to students regardless of gender or disability – Title IX of the Education Amendments, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act – weren’t enacted until 1972 and 1973 respectively.
With “ADA compliance” and safety at the forefront, Nelson said the district plans to “build our new [projects] to a forty-year standard,” referring to the lifespan of the infrastructure.
Nelson told The Citizen that “it took ten years to plan” the library and the learning center, “but it’s only going to take two years to build [them.]”
He said students can expect to have access to the locker rooms and theater in Fall 2027, and the library and learning center in Spring 2028.
