California Baptist University, Eugene & Billie Yeager Center

The Eugene and Billie Yeager Center at California Baptist University (CBU) is a multiuse academic and student center complex that was designed to meet needs generated by mushrooming growth at CBU. Enrollment has nearly tripled from 808 to 2,359 students in the past nine years.
When completed in September 2003, the center nearly doubled classroom space at CBU. The two-story, L-shaped structure comprises 94,500 square feet and includes:
•15 classrooms, including several tiered classrooms with seating capacity ranging from 45 to 160.
•Three computer labs.
•A 400-seat dining commons with an additional 100-seat outdoor dining area.
•A modern student services center featuring a bookstore, game room and cafe.
•A prayer chapel and prayer garden.
•Facilities for the School of Business, the School of Education, and more than 50 faculty, staff and administrative offices.
The design and construction phases for this facility were limited because of the existing academic school schedule and opening requirements. Because of these criteria, a tilt-up concrete construction system phase was selected with a negotiated general contractor and construction manager. This provided close coordination and value-engineering opportunities during the construction phase to monitor the construction budget precisely. The architect overcame apparent limitations of tilt-up concrete construction panelization by creatively augmenting the substructure with applied layering of architectural elements and details. This technique generated an attractive, historical facade that captures all of the charm and detail of the existing “Mission Revival-style” 1920s and 1930s campus design.

Additional Information