Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Spartanburg Community College

Evans Academic Center

  • 02/01/14

Spartanburg Community CollegeSpartanburg Community College dedicated the three-story Evans Academic Center (EAC) last year in the heart of Spartanburg, SC. This 104,000-square-foot satellite in the three-county network of campuses brought the total enrollment up to 6,000 students and reaches a previously underserved area that lacked adequate pubic transportation to and from the distant main campus.

A $9.3-million historic restoration and modernization guided by USGBC LEED Silver criteria ensued immediately after the building’s procurement for the college in 2009. The project rebuilt most of the interior, with spatial subdivisions for classrooms, labs, offices, a bookstore, study areas and conference rooms. The state-of-the-art classrooms and labs are suited to the larger scale, maximum flexibility and technologies sought for today’s more open, group interactive learning environments. An auditorium and gymnasium that were still intact underwent complete refinish and seating upgrades for as yet undefined college and possible community use.

The 1922-vintage building served as a high school and junior high until 1978 when the county acquired it for conversion into government offices. Low-budget modifications and energy-inefficient HVAC led to a nearly total interior demolition/rebuild and operating system replacements. The historic restoration led the repair or replication of many features, architectural elements, materials and finishes. Although the exterior was still structurally sound, the existing replacement windows lacked the original character and were therefore replaced with energy-efficient, custom-manufactured units.

In addition to the college areas, the restoration created significant collaborative space for the local school district’s startup of an early-college program. A government-funded partner-tenant agency also operates a job placement program from the building and benefits from access to the college’s vocational and certification training programs for entry-level healthcare, emergency first responders, IT and related office skills, mechatronics and other talents needed in the region’s manufacturing renaissance.

McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture led the project from feasibility study through final design. H.G.Reynolds, Aiken, SC, served as the general contractor.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Acquires VPS Architecture

    Full-service planning, architecture, and engineering firm Wold Architects & Engineers recently announced that it has acquired VPS Architecture, according to a news release. The move will help strengthen Wold’s education and public-sector design expertise, industries in which both companies have strong pre-existing ties and relationships.

  • Indiana Wesleyan University Schedules Grand Opening for New Welcome Center

    Indiana Wesleyan University recently announced that it will soon open a new Welcome Center on its campus in Marion, Ind., according to a news release. The facility will serve as the home base for prospective students and their families to learn more about the university and student life there. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for February 19.

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.

  • Construction Begins on New University Research Vessel

    Boat-building company All American Marine recently announced that it has begun construction on a new catamaran research vessel for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas, Texas, according to a news release.