Student Affairs & Science Building Renovation/Addition

This aging, 1970’s building in the heart of Montgomery College’s campus was transformed with an addition and renovation providing a central connection between two quads and sustain inter-disciplinary academic programs and provide much needed informal student spaces to study and connect between classes on this commuter campus. JPA provided MEP design and construction phase services for this $31M project which featured a robust study and programming phase, including the challenge of phasing the renovation and addition to allow continued operation of a significant portion of the building. The result created vertical separation and focused on the 100,000-SF renovation and addition on the new quad side.

Working within the existing structural system’s constraints, the efficiently organized building houses an inter-disciplinary program, including teaching labs, classrooms, offices, and informal learning areas. A central spine and main stair connect the building’s three levels and the two main quads. Programmatic needs results in access to daylight by certain departments and architectural schemes which incorporated aspects of the academic disciplines it houses. The addition emphasized large programmatic spaces with areas in between for commons and informal gatherings, extended by the site’s landscaping. Sustainable LEED Gold features maximized internal space access to natural light, high-performance glazing, integrated sun shading, energy-efficient mechanical systems, and solar photovoltaics infrastructure.

Architect: Ziger/Snead Architects

Project Photography: Karl Connolly