Pratt and Whitney Academic Building

New academic building:  A community college was looking to expand its teaching opportunities with additional classroom space. The new facility was proposed adjacent to the existing classroom and administration building, intending to create a campus feel with room to grow in the future. As the design team evaluated the existing facility, they quickly identified a need for informal gathering space. They observed that instead of congregating in a common space to share experiences and study together, students were retreating to their cars between classes. The program was revised to include a bright and open space for students to congregate and study independently, along with eight variously sized teaching spaces and a lecture hall.

Site description:   The 18,000 gsf building is set on a previously developed portion of a large site surrounded by forested wetlands. Wetland and vernal pool setbacks played a major role in siting the building and the additional parking required for the project.  Chamfering the building mass allowed minimal impact to the existing site while opening a viewshed to the main entry of the existing building. Additionally, the building is sited to frame a future quadrangle.

 

Design challenges and solutions:

Vision for the future – With a student body that is split between millennials and retirees the college was looking for a way to complement its existing facility while also projecting a forward-looking and dynamic image. The design team matched the existing adjacent building’s brick while layering in new materials and a pixilated window pattern; a metaphor for the technology-rich teaching spaces. Colored glass set in playful patterns was used to emphasize the idea that learning is fun.

Flexible space – The lecture hall was seen by the college as an attractive space for events as well as teaching, however, space was too precious in the limited footprint of the building to create a stage and green room typically required for performances. The design uses an operable partition to connect the lecture hall to a flexible classroom space that can either be utilized as a separate teaching area or a performance area for the lecture hall.

Construction was completed in 2017, with a construction budget of $6 Million.

Architecture or A/E Firm Name

Oak Point Associates

Architect

Kenneth Weston, AIA

Team

Robert Tillotson (Principal in Charge), Kenneth Weston (Project Architect), Sarah Smith (Interior Designer), Nick Defries (Designer), Jonah DeWaters (Civil Engineer), Kerry Peiser (Landscape Architect), David Martin (Structural Engineer), Diane Acheson (Mechanical Engineer), Dale Lincoln (Electrical Engineer)

Location

Wells, Maine

Client

York County Community College

General Contractor

Benchmark Construction

Photos