Facility Marks New Era for Community College
The Face of Change
While more than 80 percent of America’s new job openings require post-secondary education, only 16 percent of adults in Clark County, Ohio, have a college degree. Clark State Community College (CSCC) hopes to bridge that gap with the opening of the new Sara T. Landess Technology and Learning Center.
With its dramatic glass, steel and metal façade, the facility was designed to be the new campus focal point, and marks the first new construction on the CSCC campus in more than 30 years. Inside, students will find a technology-rich learning environment that will help CSCC train the workforce of the future.
The 55,000-square-foot facility located in Springfield, Ohio, connects two existing classroom buildings and is the first step in a master plan for campus improvements. The goals of the plan are to upgrade the college’s physical appearance, address space needs resulting from increased enrollment, and provide competitive academic resources for students.
CSCC originally intended for the building to function purely as a student center. The Burgess & Niple design team proposed a different approach – to create a campus hub that integrates learning, technology and campus life. The new building includes:
- A library resource center
- Computer and distance learning labs
- Studio classrooms
- Teaming, tutoring, and testing spaces
- A cyber café
- State-of-the-art presentation rooms
- Administrative offices
To better serve the college’s Health and Human Services program, the north wing of the Technology and Learning Center serves as a comprehensive health sciences complex. This section of the building includes laboratories and classrooms equipped with specialized features such as simulated patients and a cadaver work area that opens into a presentation classroom.
"This new facility gives us the tools we need to train the workforce of the future," said CSCC President, Dr. Karen Rafinski. "Not only has the building changed the face of the campus and created a new sense of pride among students, faculty and staff, but it is also enhancing recruitment efforts at the College."
B&N led the architectural and engineering design services for the project. Edwin Williams, AIA, Director of B&N’s Columbus Architectural Division, served as project manager.
Return to Newsletter
