How often do we, as industry professionals, look beyond a development project into the lives of the people who will inhabit the newly-built space? Too many times we take a job at face value. Our involvement is merely through the duration of the project, and when construction is completed we move on to the next job. However, if once in a while we’re lucky, we get a chance to become involved in building something special. At Camco Pacific, our history includes building some of Orange County’s special places. For this reason, I’d like to share some of what makes getting involved in these projects so unique, and how our industry can use that insight in all its work.

Camco Pacific recently completed construction of the new home for the Saint Joseph Ballet in Santa Ana. An important new performing arts space for the Santa Ana community, the 22,000-square-foot, two-story glass and cinder block building includes three dance studios, a volunteer workroom, dressing rooms, courtyard, community room and education center. Under the direction of its founder Beth Burns, the school’s mission is to help low-income, ethnic youth gain self-esteem, self-discipline and a sense of accomplishment, through dance, academic and family service programs. The larger facility means that Saint Joseph Ballet will be able to serve more at-risk youth, offering hope, life skills and even college scholarships. Our role in building the new studio was General Contractor, but, as special buildings will warrant, it expanded over time to include so much more.

Consider the People Who Will Inhabit The Space

The Saint Joseph Ballet studio is a facility for children . . . who dance. Understanding that fact became central to the entire process right from the very beginning, and was important to whether the project would succeed or fail, even after the construction crew went home. Each step in the construction process was evaluated based on the end user so that we could be assured that the materials and cost were appropriate. That included using the right wood for the flooring and investing the time and energy to uncover alternative ways to fulfill the school’s vision. For example, the final budget did not include one element -- operable windows in the dance studios -- that was important to Beth Burns but eliminated due to cost. Since our firm invested not only in the project but also Beth’s vision, we understood how important this element would be to the success of the completed building and the dancer’s ability to work in the space. Our ongoing evaluation provided us a way to put the windows back into the budget and into the final building design.

As noted by Saint Joseph Ballet Founder and Artistic Director Beth Burns, "The windows were just one example of Camco Pacific’s involvement. They even took our young inner-city dancers on tours during construction, so they’d feel ownership in their beautiful new building. Some have told us that our new facility is the most beautiful building in Santa Ana. Surely, that’s due to Camco as well as our architect, McLarand, Vasquez & Partners."

See The Project From All Eyes

We hear a lot these days about the building team. I can’t emphasize enough how important bringing the entire team together at the beginning of the process – even during the design stage– can be to creating a successful project, especially for something as unique as Saint Joseph Ballet.

The entire architectural design by McLarand, Vasquez & Partners for the Saint Joseph Ballet School conveyed that "movement happens here." That image is captured in the curves of the outside walls and roof, as well as little details throughout the space that has hardly a straight wall. Since the building is one-of-a-kind, it was important to understand and appreciate the uniqueness of each and every detail and the architectural program and intent. To that end, our crew dubbed the project the "jewel box," as a testament to the delicacy of the design and intricacy of the detail.

We were quick to recognize that the "building team" of Saint Joseph Ballet incorporated many different groups. Each of these groups represented a critical part of the building process, the fundraising process, the community process, and finally, the design process. By understanding the project through all those various eyes early on, we were able to understand how our part fit into the final product.

Beyond Sticks And Bricks

It isn’t often that you get the opportunity to be part of something "bigger". In the case of Saint Joseph Ballet, our firm had the honor of getting to know Beth Burns. She is, and remains, the catalyst that moves other people around her to dig deeper and try harder. She draws people into her vision. Ultimately, it forced all of us involved in the project to play a "higher" game. Of course, not every construction project has a Beth Burns or a McLarand Vasquez, and means so much to its community. But each new project gives us the opportunity to go in and try for that higher game. At Camco, our work with Saint Joseph didn’t stop when the construction crew left the job site. We’ve remained involved in the school and its mission by underwriting some of the dancers’ tuition and sponsoring part of their Holiday Program. As industry professionals, we have to look beyond sticks and bricks to the life of a building and the lives that inhabit the building to understand and capture what makes them special.