2021—College of the Mainland STEAM

College of the Mainland—College of the Mainland STEAM
Architect: PBK

The STEAM Building is a new 4-story, 169,400 SF building. It supports the science, engineering, technology, math, and healthcare programs of the college. The first floor consists of classrooms, a dental suite, a lecture hall, and student lounge areas. The 2nd floor is dedicated to medical training programs. The 3rd floor supports science programs. The new construction will also include student spaces, a terrace facing the lake, new detention ponds, and a parking expansion.

Design

“The STEAM Building anchors the East entry to the campus and provides a MAJOR TRANSFORMATION to the public face of the school.  Careful siting weaves the new project into its CONTEXT and enhanced important connections across the campus.  The addition of pedestrian pathways, student spaces, and a terrace have created strong CONNECTIONS to the lake.  SOCIAL SPACES with flexible furniture, access to power/data, and improved acoustics provide a wide variety of options to building users.”

Value

“Packaging three buildings together as one project achieved significant construction cost savings.  16,400 SF of SHELL SPACE gives the college maximum flexibility to expand instructional programs in the future.  The STEAM building is configured to support RENEWABLE ENERGY in the form of a photovoltaic array.  INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS included elevating the building 5 ft while parking areas and aging detention structures were repaired and expanded to mitigate standing water on campus. ”

Community

“Jobs in engineering, sciences, and healthcare are expected to grow – the STEAM Building provides state of the art instructional spaces to prepare students for ESSENTIAL CAREERS in the community.  The college PARTNERS with local agencies to ensure students receive a high-quality education, in state-of-the-art facilities, at an affordable price.  The STEAM Building activates the lake and provides shared amenities for students, faculty/staff, and the surrounding neighborhoods and businesses.”

Stars of Distinction Star of Distinction Category Winner