Design Architect:

Brian Dougherty, FAIA, LEED AP

Associate Architect or Firm:

Perkins Eastman
3194D Airport Loop Drive
Costa Mesa CA 92626

Landscape Architect:

Nuvis
3151 Airway Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Owner / Developer:

South Orange County Community College District
28000 Marguerite Parkway
Mission Viejo, CA 92692

Project Data:

Completion Date:     4/16/2018

Square Footage:      32492

Building Use:           Community College Career Technical Classroom and Administration Building

Project Description:

Rarely is an Architect given the opportunity to design the first building of a new campus; one that explores new methodologies for learning. The community college IDEA Building at ATEP is one of those rare opportunities. The Advanced Technology Education Park (ATEP) Campus is a unique educational platform side by side with commercial tech incubation. The extent of input goes beyond normal academics to embrace local industry leaders and community planners. A two-step formal Design-Build competition has created a “criteria document”, with a subsequent design, to encourage input from a broad range of stakeholders. From vision to detail, a progressive process of presenting ideas without judgement and transparent open project documentation, has ensured a successful Progressive Design-Build collaboration.
Think it. Try it. Prototype it. Share it. Integration Design Engineering and Automation (IDEA) at ATEP is an active environment of experimental hands-on learning for the technical entrepreneurs of the future. The goals of community collaboration serve as the central design philosophy to create a space that welcomes constant change. As the first building on this new Campus, a new community is created under one roof. Learning is elevated through unexpected collisions and cross curriculum opportunities.
“We want a signature building”; the challenge from the client. A singular identity emerges where a future campus will take form. The Southern California climate blurs the line between indoors and outdoors, unified by a transparent glass wall that opens to encourage activity to flow between indoor and outdoor spaces. Translucent walls at the ground level interior reveal activities in the labs surrounding a central core. A curving roof symbolizes motion, and an expansive attitude elevates the interactions of students and faculty.
Community Collaboration sets ATEP apart from the typical Community College environment; sharing the “Tustin Legacy” neighborhood on a re-purposed military base. The City and County have joined together with non-profits and commercial interests in a planning process to create this new educational center, an asset for the entire community. An interlocking set of negotiated development documents support adjacent commercial and education development through strategic P3 Partnerships within the new campus perimeter. The vision is one of innovative collaboration and discovery between the community, students, and industry leaders, supported by neighboring future development goals.
A High-Performance home for a High-Performance curriculum. Designed to LEED Gold standards, ATEP is aimed at Net Zero. Roof mounted, DSA approved, ballasted photo voltaic panels provide green power, while resource efficient systems reduce demand for water, power and air. Smart systems integrate each project element to optimize performance and provide data for students and faculty to learn from their building in real time on a digital readout indicating building power generation and consumption. Sustainable and local materials support interior health and wellness. A native Southern California landscape palette with bioswales includes a rain garden and minimal drip irrigation with reclaimed water. This project kicks off a new set of sustainable District-wide standards that will influence future District-wide facilities design and ongoing high-performance maintenance and operations practices.
“Change is Constant and Transparent”; the space in which students and faculty interact will evolve over time to reflect what is new and challenging each day. The exposed clear-span structure, ability to easily move large objects - such as emerging modes of transportation in and out of the building - access to high speed data, and visual access to activity, creates a high energy, interactive, collaborative space that embodies collective vision. Inherent flexibility will morph this building from a singular campus to a repurposed role as the future emerges. The future is now, and we have the resiliency to embrace it.