Saiful Bouquet provided structural engineering services for the College of the Desert Indio Expansion, the second building in the Indio downtown neighborhood designed to accommodate an additional 5,000 students. The building, an extension of the existing campus, will set the aesthetic tone for all future structures for the campus. The unique needs of the satellite school, campus, and local community were taken into consideration to ensure the building can serve future generations.
The 3-story, 62,223 square foot instructional building includes lecture halls, classrooms, computer labs, biology and chemistry labs, as well as faculty offices. Special attention was given to the structural dynamics of the biology and chemistry labs, with a maximum vibration velocity of 4,000 micro-inches per second (mips) set as the limit for these spaces.
Additionally, the project features an iconic freestanding shade structure as part of a welcoming plaza space, visible to both vehicles and pedestrians and designed to serve as an outdoor community event area.
