Napa Valley College has expanded and modernized its Wine Education Center, located on its main campus in Napa. The phased project involved the construction of a new 6,500-square-foot sensory classroom building and a new 2,500-square-foot hospitality building, connected by a covered breezeway. With a sophisticated and modern design, the buildings share a similar aesthetic to nearby wineries.
The classroom building houses two flexible sensory classrooms, as well as a laboratory classroom with 28 stations. Across the quad, the hospitality building was designed for training in wine marketing, sales, and hospitality, and includes classroom space, a demonstration kitchen, and a tasting bar. The breezeway connecting the two buildings is seismically separated from the classroom building, supported laterally by a bolted side-plate moment frame.
Wood framing was utilized in the project wherever possible to reduce construction costs, with select structural steel where needed. At the hospitality building, cantilevered flush framing provides a slender roof profile, and custom steel girt systems support clerestory windows and bypass doors that open seamlessly to an outdoor covered patio. Back-to-back steel shear panels at the outdoor covered area allow the walls to remain mostly open, creating an open and inviting space.