CENTRAL OREGON COMMUNITY COLLEGE, SCIENCE CENTER

State-of-the-art Center for Science Education

Today more than ever, institutions strive to educate students in environments that foster creativity, discipline, and academic excellence. Supporting this aim, Pinnacle teamed up Yost Grube Hall Architecture in Portland, to design the Science Center for students taking courses necessary for university transfer and entrance into advanced health careers programs.

Cradled within a hillside site of Oregon’s oldest community college district, the new building provides flexible instructional spaces that support both traditional and innovative ways of teaching and learning. Students who spend many hours studying biology, chemistry, geology, engineering, and physics now enjoy learning in an environment that boasts state-of-the-art labs and equipment. Also, the building doubles the size of the existing program accommodation, and the respective science department programs can interact with each other in the same facility.

The Science Center design concept includes open architecture and maximization of natural light. Expansive windows run along the entire west facade while skylights throughout the building allow daylight to penetrate throughout the floors below. Each of the lab spaces is connected to its adjacent public hallway by large interior windows, providing views from the hallways to activities in the labs. Floor-to-ceiling writing surfaces and display cases abound in the public areas of the building, transforming public spaces into areas of education and discussion.

The modern building is constructed from structural steel and concrete, with metal panels. It uses a variety of woods, including cedar shingles, replicating the look of the more traditional campus structures, while incorporating a contemporary twist. The building openly faces the western Cascade mountain range and has achieved Earth Advantage Gold certification, a distinction quite fitting for science learning.

Photo Credit: Alan Brandt Photography