Project Description
Reflective of the college’s focus on skilled trades programs, this dynamic, light-filled facility blends state-of-the-art commercial kitchens for the baking and pastry arts program with athletic space for NCAA sports and fitness science education spaces. Through a curriculum-centered design that emphasizes the learning experience, the teaching spaces support students’ ability to make immediate, meaningful contributions in their future careers. Embracing the synergies between these seemingly disparate programs was a central design challenge. Two volumes form the building mass, with one volume housing the baking and pastry arts space as well as faculty offices and classrooms, and the other volume housing the health and fitness science spaces. The volumes are unified by a light-filled, three-story atrium that weaves circulation with multi-tiered, informal lounge areas to create a welcoming social environment for students. Blurring the distinction between interior and exterior, the voluminous atrium acts as both a gateway to future campus expansion and as a town square where chance encounters and the exchange of ideas is encouraged.