HAYWARD, Calif.—HMC Architects and G4 Architects are in the process of designing a new $71.3 million Library and Learning Connections building at Chabot College in Hayward, Calif.

Chabot College serves a diverse student body where many students have full-time jobs, speak English as a secondary language, or come from low-income families.

The design of the new Library and Learning Connections building will proactively engage students, faculty members and other stakeholders and intertwine academic resources, study, and social spaces to soothe stigma around seeking help.

The four-story atrium provides an unobstructed visual connection through the building to the upper floors and spaces clustered around the atrium are branded for easy wayfinding. A café, library, learning resources, and variety of open and closed study spaces promote active student lifestyle and encourage social participation.

Open floor plans, large windows, and glazed skylights flood the atrium with natural daylight and put learning on display. Like the indoor spaces, outdoor spaces will also foster active learning. An amphitheater, attractive landscaping, tree canopies, mobile furnishing, and Wi-Fi and power access create flexible outdoor spaces to support a wide range of student activities.

The exterior design maximizes natural daylight with careful placement of windows, exterior shades, and a louvered shading system to block hot summer sun angles and welcome winter sun angles. The material and color palette draws inspiration from the campus’s predominant pre-cast concrete construction and surrounding natural environment. Gold accents evoke the school’s color identity and provide space for branding opportunities while the warm gray and sandy colors reflect the local natural environment.

Construction on the new Library and Learning Connections building will begin in 2021 with a slated completion date of July 2023. Rudolph and Sletten is the general contractor.

The post Chabot College Moves Ahead with Cutting-Edge Library Venue appeared first on School Construction News.

According to DoDEA, 21st Century Teaching and Learning is a student-centered approach to learning that builds on Responsive and Inclusive Teaching to engage students through technology and the environment. As such, project architect RS&H of Columbus, Ohio designed the building’s renewable energy technologies and sustainable features and systems so that they serve as a hands-on learning tool for all students.

Upon completion, the single-story school complex will house learning hubs with flexible studios, a central commons area with performance stage, and both indoor and outdoor classrooms. A gymnasium, cafeteria, specialist rooms, music and art rooms, a learning impaired room, counseling areas, an information center will round out the student-occupied spaces. Meanwhile a new administrative, supply and storage areas, a state-of-the-art kitchen and teacher workrooms, will improve overall operations. Various related infrastructure such as the construction of new parking areas, a parent loop, bus loop, mechanical rooms, delivery areas and playgrounds.

Kingsolver-Pierce Elementary will also include multiple high-efficiency building systems, renewable energy technologies and sustainable features. According to RS&H, the 115,000-square-foot school will utilize a geothermal heat pump system, solar water heaters, clerestory windows, and solar tubes, as well as photovoltaic powered parking lot lights. These renewable sources coupled with energy efficient systems yield a net-zero energy “achievable” design. Additionally, the school’s design includes classrooms extending into outdoor space, energy dashboards, a green roof and ample daylighting. With all of these sustainable elements, the facility is on track to earn LEED for Schools Silver certification.

In keeping with the surrounding environment, the new $32 million school will feature a brick and limestone façade with site features that complement its context. Exterior projects and site improvements will also include new parking areas, mechanical rooms, delivery areas, and playgrounds.

The joint venture team of S. M. Wilson of St. Louis and AWA Business Corporation of Cincinnati has been selected by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District to build the new 115,000 square foot elementary school, which will be located in the Ft. Knox Historic District. The AWA Wilson JV, a SBE 8(a), HubZone-approved Mentor-Protégé joint venture, will provide general contracting services for the $32 million project.

As the new school will be constructed on the site of the current Kingsolver Elementary, work will also involve minor demolition of the existing structure, which will remain open through the construction process. The original structures will be demolished following the transition into the new school. Construction will begin in June 2014 and is expected to last through November 2015.

The post Ft. Knox to Build 21st Century Learning School appeared first on School Construction News.