The Emmanuel Science and Technology Center is a multi-use building serving both adults and school-age children in the local community. During morning and early afternoon hours, the center operates as a workforce training program educating the next generation of early education teachers. During late afternoon and evening hours, the center operates as an after school program for grades PK-8 children. The site is bounded by a heavily trafficked boulevard to the north and a serene landscape to the south, overlooking a creek and a multi-modal public path. This project is the second phase of a four-phase master plan for the Emmanuel Centers, created by Focal, which will ultimately establish a five-acre campus dedicated to the care and development of PK–8 children and their caregivers.

The building is composed of three primary elements: a heavy masonry base, a large portion of which contains a storm shelter; a lighter upper volume with two “openings” cut from its mass to bring light into the main public spaces; and a corrugated metal wrapper shaped on its eastern side to open views toward the creek and the native landscaped hillside to the north. The inner surfaces of the “holes” are lined with wood cladding to add warmth to the material palette.