Southeast Community College Academic Excellence Center
The award-winning education facility design of the Academic Excellence Center for Southeast Community College provides equitable opportunities for study and connectivity for the college’s STEM programs and learners.
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Michael RobinsonWest façade -
William HessMain circulation -
Michael RobinsonCentral spine -
Michael RobinsonScrim wall detail -
Michael RobinsonWest elevation
Project highlights: Founders Hall, Foster School of Business
- Architecture firm: Multistudio, Design + BVH Architecture
- Owner: Southeast Community College
- Location: Beatrice, Neb.
- Category: Merit
- Project site: Not previously developed
- Building program type(s): Education - college/university (campus-level)
The Academic Excellence Center for Southeast Community College in Nebraska solves one of the most paradoxical challenges facing many community colleges: creating a broader community among a nontraditional, commuter-based population. Focused on introducing equitable opportunities for study and connectivity to the rural context that drives the college’s STEM programs, the center is a differentiator that accelerates the value proposition for today’s learners.
The center is the first new facility built through a revitalization plan for the college’s Beatrice campus, south of the state’s capitol. The project is a cornerstone for an anticipated transformation of the campus, which has a student population of just over 1,000. Across its 51,700 square feet, the center supports a wide range of STEM disciplines, from physics and health sciences to music and fine arts. Its construction sets a new bar for campus development and highlights critical programming through its cutting-edge learning environments, offices, and public space.
Envisioned by the team and college leaders as a machine for learning, the new center’s orientation, form, and fenestration optimize daylight in all learning spaces. Its primary classrooms leverage indirect daylight from adjacent open collaboration and circulation. The balance of direct and indirect daylight is further distributed along a primary circulation spine to create a dynamic experience that supports impromptu social connectivity. The team’s strategies offset most artificial lighting needs while simultaneously enhancing the learning experience and bolstering connections to the surrounding community.
Though the college did not articulate specific energy conservation goals, the team employed a purposeful approach to sustainability that nurtures user well-being and comfort while ensuring the facility’s longevity and a return on investment that correlates to the college’s overarching business plan. It meets the Architecture 2030 Challenge through a 70% energy reduction and a photovoltaic-ready infrastructure that will help move the college to a net zero master plan.
A vital gateway to the campus, the center is both a destination and landmark for the college community. It is an aesthetically contemporary solution that responds to both program and considerations while still celebrating the unpretentious rural vernacular of Nebraska.
Framework for Design Excellence measures
Was there a design charrette? Yes
Level of community engagement:
Inform: Potential stakeholders were informed about the project.
Consult: Stakeholders were provided with opportunities to provide input at pre-designed points in the process. Involve: Stakeholders were involved throughout most of the process.
Collaborate: A partnership is formed with stakeholders to share in the decision-making process including development of alternatives and identification of the preferred solution.
Empower: Stakeholders were provided with opportunities to make decisions for the project.
Site area that supported vegetation (landscape or green roof) pre-development: 99%
Site area that supports vegetation post-development: 55%
Site area covered by native plants supporting native or migratory species and pollinators: 10%
Strategies used to promote Design for Ecosystems: Biodiversity, Dark skies, Bird safety, Soil conservation
Is potable water used for irrigation? No
Is potable water used for cooling? Yes
Is grey/blackwater reused on-site? No
Is rainwater collected on-site? No
Stormwater managed on-site: 15%
2030 Commitment baseline EUI: 155 kBtu/sf/yr
Predicted net EUI including on-site renewables: 46 kBtu/sf/yr
Reduction from the benchmark: 70%
Is the project all-electric? No
Level of air filters installed: Less than MERV 9
Was a “chemicals of concern” list used to inform material selection? Yes
Do greater than 90% of occupied spaces have a direct view to the outdoors? Yes
Were embodied carbon emissions estimated for this project? Yes
Estimated service life: 100 years
Floor area, if any, representing adapting existing buildings: Not applicable
Ability to survive without utility power: Not habitable without power
Risk assessment and resilience services provided: Hazard identification, Climate change risk, Building vulnerability assessment
Has a post-occupancy evaluation been conducted? No, but a POE will be conducted.
Building performance transparency steps taken:
Present the design, outcomes, and/or lessons learned to the office.
Present the design, outcomes, and/or lessons learned to the profession.
Present the design, outcomes, and/or lessons learned to the public.
Publish lessons learned from design, construction, and/or occupancy.
Project team & Jury
Year of substantial project completion: 2020
Gross conditioned floor area: 51,700 sq. ft.
Architect: Multistudio, Design
Associate Architect: BVH Architects
Engineer - Civil & Structural: Olsson
Engineer - MEP: Morrissey Engineering, Inc.
General Contractor: Hausmann Construction
Lori Cappucio, AIA (Chair), SmithGroup, Washington, DC
Omar Bailey, AIA, Shepley Finch, Phoenix
Vince Gonzales, AIA, Seattle Public Schools, Seattle
Kandis Larsen, AIA, Integrus + YGH, Spokane, Wash.
Sindu Meier, AIA, William Rawn Associates, Milton, Mass.
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