The Missouri Innovation Campus (MIC) in Lee’s Summit, Mo., isn’t just a building. It’s a program that’s changing the way students experience education and prepare themselves for the workplace.

The partnership between Lee’s Summit R-7 School District, Metropolitan Community College and the University of Central Missouri (UCM) brings together high school and college students into one space, housing the MIC program, Summit Technology Academy (STA) and University of Central Missouri-Lee’s Summit, an off-site campus for UCM.

Students can start the MIC program their junior year of high school by attending STA, a program that offers students dual-credit classes that prepare them for careers in engineering, computer science, healthcare and multimedia. During the time it takes students to complete high school, they will have earned an associate’s degree from Metropolitan Community College, interned at a local business and then can finish their four-year bachelor’s degree from UCM just two years after they graduate high school.

The MIC program also integrates students into the community by requiring them to complete three years of paid internships with companies based in the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Not only does this help alleviate the costs of education, but it also helps prepare students for the working world. In total, there are 500 metropolitan students in STA, 1,000 students in UCM and approximately 100 MIC students amongst them.

“The goal of the MIC is two-fold: to meet workforce demand for top technology-talented students and to eliminate massive college debt by reducing the time to degree completion,” said STA Principal Elaine Metcalf.

A new building for MIC was completed in time for the 2017-2018 school year. Before the new building was built, MIC was spread across two locations. Now, students have access to all the technologies they could want or dream up. In fact, the new campus was built with flexibility in mind to accommodate future technologies and curriculums.

“This building is designed to meet the needs of the Kansas City marketplace, and it’s always going to change,” said Kevin Greischar, AIA, principal for DLR Group. “As the marketplace and local industry evolve, so will this building. There are walls that are permanent, walls that are built for 10 years and ones that could come down tomorrow if need be.”

MIC held a grand-opening ceremony for its new home on Sept. 5. This debut date was also perfect timing to show off the new facility to attendees at the national EDspaces trade show, held in Kansas City, Mo., from Oct. 24-27, at which School Construction News was in attendance.

Problem Solving Is Key

From the outside, the 135,000-square-foot building features sleek aluminum sheathing and an industrial-style finish that matches the interior that is spread across two levels, featuring high ceilings and lots of windows to bring in natural light. The design was a collaboration between DLR Group as the architect of record and Gould Evans as design partner, with McCownGordon Construction serving as general contractor on the project. All three companies have offices in the Kansas City area.

The $30 million facility features 60 classrooms as well as shared spaces designed to welcome students from both STA and UCM as well as ones that are designated to specific programs: networking, engineering, medical, bio medical, graphics, hospitality and cybersecurity. Most of these spaces have moveable panels so that spaces can be combined or separated as needed. The furniture — most of which is on wheels — also encourages flexibility and movement.

“This building is probably the most specific we have been involved with, where the curriculum defined the physical space and adjacencies,” Greischar said. “The staff was already teaching in ways that a building like this would let them do but in a building that wasn’t designed for it. Instructors and learners will only flourish in this environment.”

The building was designed to have what Greischar called a “Main Street,” with neighborhoods that include a front and back porch that get a bit quieter as students make their way down the neighborhood corridor. Because the facility is designed to prepare students for the workforce, it really feels more like a Google- or Facebook-type tech office space than a college. The traditional high school environment is completely gone, with a more open concept so that classrooms are not closed off. Classrooms bleed into the hallways and vice versa allowing learning and teaching to occur everywhere.

“The real difference is that teachers give students a problem to solve, and then ask the students to solve it with the available tools,” Greischar said. “A big part of the educational experience at MIC involves collaboration and this idea that ‘you win as a team.’ The idea was to create an environment where students could go to solve problems instead of spaces where they could go to have their heads filled with lecture-style learning.”

Another aspect that Greischar said the design team had to consider was creating a space that encouraged a level of trust between parents and teachers that students could manage themselves and their own time, especially since some students at the school are only in high school and are working around college-age students. While the students typically work apart from one another, there are times when they work together, especially when MIC brings in a lecturer or other guest speaker.

One such space that truly deviates from the traditional high school setup is the upper-level lounge area with an outside terrace. It was originally conceived to be a library, but instead, it provides a place for students to plug-in and eat or chill out before starting their schoolwork.

“The new space promotes and facilitates very intentional ways to help students practice the professional skills that are needed to be successful in the workplace,” Metcalf said. “Also, the flexibility and openness of the design supports a changing curriculum of the next-generation workforce.”

To read the entire article, check out the November/December issue of School Construction News.

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The expansion of the Eller College Professional Development Center will increase the existing four-story building by roughly 10,000 square feet, providing additional program space without moving outside the facility’s original footprint. Instead, the bright, colorful and modern addition will be located in an open courtyard spanning the building’s second and third levels on the south side. Level two will retain an opening to the courtyard, while level three will connect at both the east and west sides.

The center is expected to play a critical role in maintaining the nationally recognized image of the university’s Eller College of Management, providing services for student skill development, job recruitment, donor recognition and sponsorship, according to a statement by GLHN.

GLHN has worked with the University of Arizona on major projects since the firm was founded over 50 years ago. Most recently, GLHN served as architect and engineer of record for the university’s Environment and Natural Resources 2 (ENR2) project, currently under construction on 6th Street, and designed temporary office space within Bear Down Gym during the renovation of Old Main.

GLHN will serve as Architect and Engineer of Record for the project, while Gould Evans will be Design Architect. The selected team also includes Holben Martin & White. The firm served as structural engineers of the original building, which was completed in 1993.

The Eller College Professional Development Center provides career services to students and requires additional space for staff and student activities. The center strives to empower a diverse student population that actively manages career choices in the global marketplace, to develop the best-prepared job seekers, and to maximize students’ chances for success by providing highly personalized services, according to the center’s website.

The school is also actively fundraising for the construction of a second building north of McClelland that would further expand the Eller College of Management, and has thus fair raised $42 million of its $65 million Phase I goal. A new building would allow growth in the undergraduate, MBA and executive education programs, and create an Eller mini campus within the UA, according to Make Eller Greater.

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ASU named HNTB Corp. of Kansas City, Mo. and Gould Evans of Phoenix to design to new facility, while joint venture of national firms Hunt Construction Group and Sundt Construction Inc., Hunt-Sundt, will serve as the project’s Construction Manager at Risk. All firms have considerable experience in sports building and education construction.

"We have reached an important milestone in the reinvention of Sun Devil Stadium," ASU Vice President for Athletics Ray Anderson said in a statement naming the project partners. "Today’s announcement means we are shifting gears and that the vision starts being transformed into concrete plans."

“Gould Evans has a wealth of experience working with ASU, and HNTB is simply one of the best firms in the country at stadium design,” added ASU’s University Architect, Edmundo Soltero. “We believe we have the team in place to do something extraordinary.”

“Arizona State University is setting benchmarks for innovation, excellence and sustainability and we are honored to be a part of this important project,” said Gerardo Prado, a principal with HNTB, in a statement. “Football stadiums are part of the collegiate experience and we look forward to playing a role in helping people see what a world-class university does with its public venues.”

Sundt Senior Vice President and Southwest District Manager Marty Hedlund is also confident in the experience Hunt-Sundt will bring to the table. “Our concrete expertise and the ability to self-perform within the design, planning and construction phases gave us a competitive advantage in the selection process,” said. “Self-performing the majority of the work allows us to not only keep costs down, but also maintain a high degree of quality control that aligns with our sustainable design and construction principals.”

According to a release issued by the university, while final design is just beginning, the project will focus on sustainability, technology and innovation. Enhancements in the stadium are expected to improve both the athlete and fan experiences, and include an expanded student section, a new concourse, better seating, more restrooms, improved concessions, a premiere video board and sound system, in-stadium technology, extensive accessibility improvements and an air-conditioned club, along with other amenities.

Demolition off specific areas within the existing the new stadium is currently underway, and new construction is expected to begin in early 2015, with construction being completed in 2017. The project will be conducted in phases while the Sun Devil football team continues to play its regular seasons in the stadium. Funding will come primarily from private donations, naming rights and revenue created by the development of a new nearby athletic facilities district.

Sun Devil Stadium was originally designed by Edward J. Varney Associates and constructed by F.H. Antrim Construction Company. Over the years the stadium has hosted numerous big-ticket events such as the Super Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl and NFL games, and has appeared in several movies. The last major renovation to iconic structure came in 1988 when 1,700 seats were added to bring the facility to a capacity of 71,706.

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