Phoenix College Fine Arts Building and Operations Building
Phoenix, AZ
A core value of Phoenix College is their commitment to “Go Far, Close To Home,” by offering a premiere education opportunity for its residents. The Fine Arts Building at Phoenix College creates a “landmark facility” at the northern terminus of the campus, celebrating and reinforcing education in art curriculum. The structure creates an energy within the department and the community at large that will naturally open new doors to growth for students in the Fine Arts Program.
The School incorporates three art departments: photography, graphic arts, and media arts. These programmatic parts have been arranged to ensure interaction and interdependence between the programs and the surrounding community.
The resulting 28,000 SF, 2-story facility surrounds a landscaped courtyard, with a highly visible public facade for exhibits held within the gallery. The facility includes ceramics, glass and sculpture classrooms on the ground floor.
Drawing, painting, computer graphics and photography classrooms are located on the second floor. A multifunctional 75-seat lecture hall with digital media capabilities also provides opportunity for community/college interaction. An exhibition gallery is also included in the facility with a rooftop terrace above the gallery providing open-air space for after-exhibit celebrations.
Award: 2009 Best of Awards-Higher Education from Southwest Contractor
Pierce College - Student Services Center Woodland Hills, CA
The new Student Services Center at Pierce College is prominently situated at the campus promenade. Human interaction is encouraged and the student experience enhanced by this new campus hub.
The building serves as a landmark for students, staff, and visitors entering campus. The design clarifies function and wayfinding and features walk-up windows and internet based services via computer stations. A welcoming, open courtyard conveys a relaxing and calm campus environment. The architectural vocabulary blends seaminglessly with the Mission-revival style of the original campus.
College of the Desert - Student Services Center Palm Desert, CA
This LEED-Certified student services center was designed as an open, inviting edifice that stretches its arms to the community, fits within the context of the existing campus buildings, and allows for easy access to the students with multiple points of entry. It serves as a “front door” drawing visitors to the heart of the campus, and provides a convenient one-stop location for several student services.
The dramatic glass entrance lobby transforms into a glowing lantern at night, which serves as a beacon and facilitates wayfinding. The entrance is shaped like the open pages of a book and allows for views into the main lobby atrium, while the vertical articulation of the deep-set windows of the building responds to the desert conditions and the character of the existing buildings.
Harbor College - Library Learning Resource Center Wilmington, CA
The new Library Learning Resource Center at Harbor College will fulfill the goals of the Campus Master Plan. The building integrates with other new campus facilities to define a prominent new campus mall and its unique materials will showcase it as a landmark, sustainable building. It will provide students with a state-of-the-art, highly functional, pleasant, and inspirational learning environment
The south facade will serve as a prominent backdrop to the campus mall. It will be clad with a curtain wall of horizontal louvers to block the southern sun. A glass box will house the periodical reading room will protrude through stylish louvers and offer commanding views overlooking the campus. A suspended canopy of photovoltaic panels will cap this facade.
Straight-forward, user-friendly way-finding systems promote circulation flow. The main entrance opens to a dramatic atrium. This space will provide users with clear visuals to the upper level. The Learning Center adjacent to the Library Computing area will foster a lively and collaborative environment.
DLR Group’s design for the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln was recently certified LEED Silver.
The Multicultural Center is located adjacent to the Student Union. The three-story, 30,000 SF building has become a campus destination with its strong visual identity and expanded programs and services.
The sustainable goal for the project was LEED certification. During the course of the project, the design team determined that sustainable elements of the design could advance the building to the LEED Silver threshold.
Sustainable Design Details, Green Materials, and Practices:
- Three story building with compact floor plate design results in reduced wall and roof area to limit envelope heat gains/losses.
- Primary exterior building materials of locally extracted and manufactured concrete block, face brick and precast concrete.
- Reduced heat island effect for both roof and non-roof surfaces by specifying roof and paving materials with high reflectance.
- Reduced water consumption by specifying water efficient landscape materials and low water consumption plumbing fixtures.
- Reduced energy consumption by specifying tinted, insulated, low E glazing and limiting window openings on south, east and west elevations. Curtainwall glazing (low-E) used only on north elevation and under overhangs.
- High efficiency, variable air volume HVAC system with individual room terminal boxes and temperature controls to maximize energy efficiency and user control.
- Implemented an indoor air quality management plan during construction to improve environmental quality for both construction workers and building occupants.
- Specified low VOC and low emitting products for adhesives, sealants, paints, carpet, and composite wood.
- Specified high efficiency, low mercury fluorescent lamps for interior lighting.
- Specified light fixtures and placement that limit night time light pollution
Navajo Nation celebrates official opening of the John D. Pinto Library at Dine College in Shiprock, New Mexico. The new library will “serve a critical role supporting…self-education for all people in the Navajo Nation.”
