Animation Facilities Construction Updates

A-Block Water Damage

On Saturday, June 5, 2021, an older cooling tower on the fifth floor of CalArts A-block overflowed. Several specific locations were impacted. In particular, the Character and Experimental Animation areas (Film/Video) and the Gamelan Room (Music) suffered significant water damage to walls, ceilings and floors as well as cubicles, classrooms, equipment and computers. (For returning faculty, staff and students, the specific spaces are A221, A115 and The Lodge.) Thankfully, no one was injured in this incident.

CalArts Facilities and Film/Video are working together on two parallel tracks right now:

First, we are committed to ensuring students, faculty and staff will have the tools, technology and spaces you need to do your work when we return to campus this fall. We are reviewing various spaces for this and will update you as plans develop.
Second, with the help of the CalArts Facilities team, restoration professionals and our insurance providers, we continue to assess the damage to the three floors of A221 (Character Animation) and to A115 (Experimental Animation). The clean up of the area has already begun to prepare for the renewal of the space.

Updates on the progress of the project will be posted on this webpage as well as an archive of all the emails sent to the community.

Updates

Animation Facilities Update #9 - March 2023

March 7, 2023

Here are the latest construction updates on the A-Block animation facilities (A115, Experimental Animation and A221, Character Animation) project on campus, repairing areas damaged by an overflowing cooling tower in June 2021.

Animation Facilities Update #8 - Oct 2022

November 7, 2022

Here are the latest construction updates on our animation facilities, particularly the A-Block (A115 & A221) project on campus, repairing areas damaged by the overflowing cooling tower last June.

Animation Facilities Update #7

June 27, 2022

I’m writing to share the latest news about the A-block renovation (A115 & A221). In May, it was very exciting to finish up the architectural design with HGA. Demolition of the interior partition walls and the mechanical and electrical systems begins next week! This is the first step in...