Located in the heart of California’s Central Valley, Modesto Junior College has served an agricultural and manufacturing based economy since 1921. The College’s 19,650 sf New Student Services Building consolidates existing programs spread throughout the Campus into a one-stop-shop while allowing for anticipated departmental growth. Programs include: admissions, records, evaluations, counseling, veterans and disabled student assistance, testing labs, and a multi-purpose classroom. The two-story U-shaped building frames a central Lobby with sight lines to each of the major departmental entries. A celebratory canopy then captures another 6,500 sf of exterior space, protecting students from the hot sun and ushering them into the double-height Lobby.
Nestled tightly within a grove of old-growth trees at the campus entry, the building’s bar elements open slightly to embrace student pedestrian traffic from the Campus’s central quad to the southwest. The main student parking area lies directly north and the major thoroughfare of College Avenue forms the eastern boundary of both site and campus. The massing and siting of the building reinforce the Campus’s public identity along these two edges. Its materiality signifies it as a student’s entry portal to college life.
The custom-perforated aluminum canopy panels create a dappled light effect simulating that of the existing trees. Redwood harvested onsite warmly clads columns, beams, and the acoustical wall assembly which frames the main student service counter. Extensive yet protected glazing supplies daylight to over 70% of the building’s occupied spaces, integrates with the lighting control system to reduce energy use, and provides stellar exterior views for staff and students.
In a larger context, this Campus abuts the agricultural fields that led to the creation of the city of Modesto. The subtle metal cladding pattern abstracts this patchwork quilt of farmlands, peeking out from under the surrounding tree canopies on all sides. Striated concrete paving in the project’s interior and exterior public spaces reflects the rhythmic structure of the canopy above then extends into the landscape, mimicking the subdivision of fields beyond.
Given the prominence of disabled veterans in the College’s student population, universal accessibility and clear navigation were critical. Designed at the height of the economy, accommodating an expansive program within a constricted footprint and budget required multi-purpose solutions. A centralized Lobby addressed the first challenge by providing clear visual connections to the front door of each department on both floors. The exterior courtyard then supplemented the Lobby to provide informal gathering areas year-round and cyclical student queuing capacity at the beginning of each semester.
With the support of the client, sustainability became a priority for the project during the design phases. In addition to techniques mentioned above, water consumption has been reduced by over 30%, energy use reduced by over 20%, over 30% of the materials used were manufactured using recycled content, and over 90% of the new wood used on the project was FSC certified. The project is the first building on campus to be LEED Silver Certified.
