Title: Alamance County Community College - Applied Advanced Tech Center
Location of Proejct: Alamance, NC
Project Completion Date: 2017
Firm Name: Little

Short Description: The new 55,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Advanced Applied Technology Center at Alamance Community College showcases technical learning and training, maximizing the learning experience and preparing students for careers in highly skilled fields. The building is configured to allow visibility into each lab to showcase technology and to attract new students. The technology labs are designed for ultimate flexibility and connection to the shared classrooms. Each technology lab is column free by means of long-span cellular beams that span between 60’-0” to 80’-0” and play a prominent role in the building’s architectural identity, relating back to each of the five programs housed inside.

Architect's Statement: The new 55,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Advanced Applied Technology Center at Alamance Community College provides a much-needed new home with adequate space and specialized equipment for the College’s growing legacy hands-on learning programs in advanced technologies and manufacturing. The center houses program in Mechatronics Engineering Technology; Computer-Integrated Machining Technology; Welding Technology; Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Technology; and Automotive Systems Technology. The Advanced Applied Technology Center showcases technical training, applies real-life simulation, maximizes learning experiences, and prepares students for careers in highly specialized fields.

The building is situated front and center on campus, making it highly visible and attractive to prospective students and accessible to local employers. The building layout is designed to be compact in nature with the five technology labs surrounding the entry commons and student commons. The central commons will be used to display student projects, provide flexible space for interdisciplinary projects, and hold career fairs so students can connect with potential employers. To maximize utilization, general classrooms are easily accessible from the labs and centrally located for use by other programs. Since some of the programs can be noisy, smaller support spaces are organized in zones between the labs to bolster acoustic separation. Direct access for deliveries of materials and equipment is provided into each lab at the side and rear of the building.
Spaces are configured to allow visibility into each lab to showcase the technology and attract new students. Offices are located adjacent to each lab, giving department heads and instructors visual control of the labs and making them accessible to students. Interaction and collaboration between students and instructors are fostered in the gathering areas central to the labs, offices, and general classrooms.
The technology labs are designed for ultimate flexibility and can easily adapt to future curricula and equipment changes. Each technology lab is column-free by means of long-span cellular beams that span between 60’-0” to 80’-0” and play a prominent role in the building’s architectural identity, relating back to each of the programs. The cellular beams are painted international orange to highlight the structural system and provide continuity throughout the building.
The building exterior is layered with a solid durable layer at the base to respond to program requirements and a clear, transparent layer above to maximize daylighting for each of the technology labs, contrasting the typical nature of these teaching spaces.
Overall the Advanced Applied Technology Center has been a huge success. “This center is about filling a skills pipeline at a time when local business and industry in Alamance County is desperate for this kind of workforce,” said College President Dr. Algie Gatewood. Since opening, enrollment has increased significantly, and graduates have been filling jobs in the community.