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

  • California High School Opens New Classroom Building for 7th-, 8th-Graders

    Santa Rosa City Schools in Santa Rosa, Calif., recently announced the completion of a new classroom building for Piner High School. As the campus transitions to a Junior/Senior High School, the facility will play home to the school’s new population of seventh- and eighth-grade students.

  • Wyoming District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    Laramie County School District #1 in Cheyenne, Wy., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming Mountain View Elementary School, according to a news release. The facility has an estimated completion date of summer 2028, and it will have the capacity for 650 students in fifth and sixth grade.

  • Haws Corporation Marks 120th Anniversary

    Haws Corporation, which provides hydration and emergency safety solutions worldwide, recently announced that the company is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, according to a news release.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.