What does it take to “build connection”? We search for kinship in our personal lives, but how do we translate these connective tissues into architecture? For Jensen Architects, it begins with listening. We ask the communities, clients, and stakeholders we work with to share their needs and desires, and our vision—for a workplace, a school, or a restroom—grows from those conversations.
Just off Highway 1, near the Watsonville State Wildlife Area, is the Santa Cruz County Government Center. Jensen Architects adapted an existing office building, retrofitting a mishmash of spaces into a hub ready to serve the people of Santa Cruz South County.
“The project acts as a centralized service center, providing vital support services to the surrounding community,” says senior designer Lauren Harrison. The 95,000-square-foot workplace serves the community at two scales: the staff who work for the various departments helping to care for the health and safety of local residents, such as the Agricultural Commissioner or Family and Children’s Services; and visitors from the racially and economically diverse population in the area who deserve to feel welcome and comfortable when discussing long-term care, or using a computer lab.
In retrofitting the offices, Jensen carefully considered the adjacencies between the different departments and ensured access to natural light via skylights and panoramic windows—design gestures meant to improve staff conviviality and wellness. Concentrated support spaces—the break room, conference suite, mother’s room, and mail room—are shared equally and create neighborly interactions between workers.
The visitor experience centers around two large lobbies, each with service desks and easy access to community meeting rooms, family support services, and classrooms for the Freedom Community School and Evening Center afterschool program. Because the Center sits on the edge of the ecologically sensitive Watsonville Slough, the design underscores connections to the surrounding landscape with murals that reflect the slough ecology, direct views to the outdoors, and an interior color palette inspired by the coastal salt marsh and wildlife.
Designing a welcoming and culturally sensitive environment for visitors and staff extends beyond carpet, paint, and furniture upgrades, however. Jensen designed graphics and wayfinding, including signage in both English and Spanish that helps all visitors easily navigate to appropriate services. “The project brings together several county services under one roof in a historically underserved region, providing more equitable and accessible resources to the community,” says Harrison.
When Children’s Day School was ready for a new preschool building, they turned to Jensen to design a structure that embodies a belief in curiosity, collaboration, and play. Located in San Francisco’s historic Mission District, the mass timber building deftly navigates the urban site, carving out courtyard play while preserving two existing trees. What might be seen as a challenge was recast as an opportunity to forge a link between students and the natural environment: one century-old elm was woven into the scheme so that it shades the rooftop deck.
“The tree is part of the school’s heritage and it was very important to not only preserve it but also showcase its magnificent stature,” says Jensen associate Jen Redel. “It provides a feeling of protection, safety, and familiarity.”
The team held workshops with teachers and staff to tailor the six classrooms so that every detail of the preschool, kindergarten, and flexible classroom is age appropriate and supports different levels of educational need and capability. With attention to the material and sensory experience of the student, Jensen used color, natural materials, and radiant concrete floors to create a place—from floor to rooftop—for learning and development.
Read more about Children’s Day School Preschool.
A welcoming space accommodates people of all orientations and abilities. This is as true for a community center as for the most intimate: the restroom. When Jensen Architects renovated a 1980s office building for YouTube/Google, we were tasked with remaking conventional toilets into inclusive, all-gender restrooms. Because every user has different comfort and privacy requirements, our design responds to a diverse set of needs—mobility and gender—centered on choice.
Options accommodate specific desires and cultural rituals: a stall with a sink for washing up or a single, accessible toilet room and lavatory for those in need of extra privacy, or shower rooms with full-height walls. Graphics identifying fixture types replace the outmoded male and female icons. Ultimately, how one uses the bathroom is a personal choice connected to function and not gender.
Read more about designing restrooms for everyone.
