The Art Institute of Los Angeles-Orange County is well under way at its new building in Santa Ana, offering classes designed to feed the appetite of OC’s employers for tech-savvy workers.
The school offers programs in multimedia and Web design, graphic design, and Internet marketing and advertising. The school set up shop here in response to OC’s rapid economic growth, says its president, Laura Soloff.
“We liked the ‘Tech Coast’ brand-name recognition that Orange County is earning as a major center for technology firms,” said Soloff. “So it made sense for us to set up a school here that would link up with the tech sector, as well as the county’s established and still-growing entertainment sector.”
The school plans to kick off a culinary arts program in the fall of next year.
The school has 61 students enrolled, and expects eventually to have close to 400 students per trimester, according to Soloff.
This is Pittsburgh-based Education Management Corp.’s second Art Institute campus in Southern California and its 20th nationwide.
Washington, D.C.-based CarrAmerica Development Inc. built the 55,000-square-foot Santa Ana campus as a built-to-suit project. Construction began in November last year, and was completed in July, in time for the school’s opening term.
CarrAmerica won the contract based on its work on the five-story, 115,000-square-foot build-to-suit it completed for The Art Institutes more than a year ago in Atlanta, according to company vice president and senior project manager Pat Russel.
The OC campus includes gallery/exhibition space, culinary laboratories and classrooms with high-speed computer access. The school has added additional wiring to its lecture halls so that they can be converted to computer labs if the need arises.
The building also offers roof loading and high ceilings,ideal for supporting the big equipment the Art Institute requires for its computer labs and kitchens.
“The building features an all-steel structural system and continuous ribbon glass that maximizes window area,” said Russel. “That way, the building can use as much natural light in classrooms as possible.”
Specialized switching allows the school to adjust the light levels depending on the use of the classroom. For example, in the computer labs where low lighting is preferred, the amount of lighting can be brought down appropriately.
“Indirect fixtures provide a soft glow that won’t give any kind of glare on computer screens,” Russel said.
Meanwhile, CarrAmerica last week hired Malcolm O’Donnell as its new senior vice president and managing director for Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. Before joining CarrAmerica, O’Donnell was principal of Alpine Holdings and Keller Equity Group, Inc., overseeing development projects throughout Southern California.
CarrAmerica owns, develops and operates office properties in 14 markets throughout the U.S.
The company also owns and operates Harbor Corporate Park, where the school is located. n
