Nob Hill Gazette: Epacenter Prevails: East Palo Alto’s Epic Undertaking

“EPACENTER’s hallmark is its indoor-outdoor flow, with windows that open for ventilation, studios with doors that access the outside, and a courtyard with a large roof for shade. ‘I didn’t think of it as a building but as a village, a hacienda,’ shares WHY founder Kulapat Yantrasast. Materials such as Douglas fir, cedar and pine; polycarbonate plastic with translucency; glass; and rubberized shingles in multiple colors were incorporated to reflect the diversity of the community. And Hood Design Studio of Oakland installed lush natural landscaping around the building.

‘I’ve done this type of collaboration before but not to this level — this is a very deep engagement,’ Yantrasast says of the multiyear project, part of a new trajectory of work for the firm. ‘The kids realized this was their opportunity to dream.'”

– Carolyne Zinko, Nob Hill Gazette