Board Awards Blach Cañada College Kinesiology and Wellness Center

"Blach and ELS were selected for the project through a sophisticated, best-value selection process in which the Blach-ELS team won over many of the largest and highest regarded contractors on the West Coast."

"Blach and ELS were selected for the project through a sophisticated, best-value selection process in which the Blach-ELS team won over many of the largest and highest regarded contractors on the West Coast."

(9/20/2016) San Mateo, Calif. – The Board of Trustees of San Mateo Community College District awarded Blach Construction Company a $60 million design-build contract to design and build a new, 86,000-square-foot kinesiology and wellness center, as well as an aquatic complex, last week.

Blach partnered with Berkeley-based ELS Architecture and Urban Planning as its architect. The District’s Measure H bond, which local voters approved in November 2014, is providing the funding for the project.

The modern-designed structure will replace an aging gymnasium and will feature classrooms, a large fitness center for students, staff and the public, group exercise rooms, locker rooms and two competition swimming pools. It also will feature an innovative, roof-top running track and outdoor exercise/yoga areas.

Blach and ELS were selected for the project through a sophisticated, best-value selection process in which the Blach-ELS team won over many of the largest and highest regarded contractors on the West Coast.

“We’re really thrilled to have been selected for this significant project,” commented Mike Blach, president and CEO of Blach Construction. “It will be a signature structure on the Cañada campus, and it will truly transform the look and feel of the entire college. It also will be one of the most significant projects in our company’s history!”

“Our team also is excited to be partnering with ELS, who we regard as one of the top designers of athletic, recreation and aquatic spaces in the U.S.,” noted Dan Rogers, Blach’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Design on the project is starting immediately, with a groundbreaking expected next fall. Construction is expected to be complete by early 2019.

Blach Construction Company (www.blach.com) builds structures of enduring quality and value throughout Northern and Central California. Blach’s experience encompasses a broad cross-section of commercial, industrial and institutional building types, including education, healthcare, technology, life sciences, professional services and civic/community facilities. Blach is also a recognized leader in sustainable design and construction. The company is based in Silicon Valley with a full-service regional office located in Monterey. Find Blach on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

The San Mateo County Community College District (www.smccd.edu) is a three College District located between San Francisco and the Silicon Valley. The Colleges serve more than 40,000 students each year and offer the first two years of instruction in a wide variety of transfer programs as well as more than 90 vocational-technical programs.