OAKLAND CIVIC AUDITORIUM

Completed in 1914 as the Oakland Civic Auditorium, the building was renamed the Kaiser Convention Center after a 1984 renovation. The historic landmark building includes a 5,500 seat arena, large ballroom and the 1,900-seat Calvin Simmons Theater. The arena hosted notable historic events including the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, Elvis Presley and the Grateful Dead. The theater and ballroom will be restored and the arena converted to commercial use. A restaurant & café with outdoor dining will frame views of Lake Merritt and the Oakland hills.

The project is seeking LEED Gold certification.

The project delivery method is design-build. The  MEP Basis of Design was delivered at 100% Schematic Design for procurement of mechanical and electrical design-build subcontractors.

MEYERS+ provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing & fire protection, and daylighting and comfort analysis services.

ENGINEERING FEATURES

M+ provided a detailed daylighting analysis to determine the size, location, pattern and  materiality for the skylight restoration in the historic arena. The number of daylight hours was optimized in consideration of potential glare and thermal discomfort.

M+ evaluated alternatives to eliminate mechanical cooling in the repositioned arena space. A detailed thermal comfort analysis was provided to study the impact of solar heat gain with various skylight patterns, areas and materials to predict occupant comfort using a passive cooling approach.

OWNER City of Oakland
DEVELOPER Orton Development
ARCHITECT Heller Manus