Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Saddleback College Opens New STEM Facility

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/21/22

Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif., recently opened a new STEM facility on its campus. The Advanced Technology and Applied Sciences (ATAS) building measures in at 52,913 square feet and provides multidisciplinary space for labs and classrooms, general instructional areas, and administrative space. The building will serve career technical education students in subjects like architecture and drafting, environmental sciences, communications, horticulture and more.

The college partnered on the project with construction firm McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. and architecture and design firm HED.

“We’re ecstatic to open this new facility for our students, faculty, staff and broader Orange County community,” said Ann-Marie Gabel, Vice Chancellor, Business Services, for the South Orange County Community College District. “It’s a beautiful space, designed to promote student-to-student collaboration and a sense of openness as the facility blends into the gorgeous Southern California landscape. Students can enjoy the local habitat and feel more connected to nature with onsite butterfly gardens, bird and wildlife areas.”

A news release notes that the ATAS building has achieved a LEED Gold rating equivalency with passive design strategies intended to minimize energy use. The main part of the building connects directly with campus sidewalks. Students enter through one of two entrances into a central collaboration space that opens into a courtyard. Two wings containing classrooms and lab space flank the courtyard, while landscape areas serve as outdoor learning gardens.

“The ATAS project enabled us to integrate the campus, with its highly beautiful natural surroundings, while exceeding the SOCCCD’s goals for the space,” said Martha Ball, Principal at HED. “The design considerations employed were a celebration of the natural habitat, which surrounds the Saddleback College campus. With energy efficiency in mind, the ATAS facility effectively harvests daylight to reduce the need for electrical lighting and derives 35 percent of its energy from solar panels. This, combined with an efficient wall-to-window ratio, are the main strategies to achieve energy savings. Additionally, the concrete structure provides thermal mass to absorb heat with nightly release, and longevity through a robust structure.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Illinois State University Breaks Ground on College of Fine Arts Transformation

    Illinois State University in Normal, Ill., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts transformation project, according to university news. The series of new constructions and renovations will upgrade spaces in Centennial East, the Center for the Visual Arts, and the Center for the Performing Arts, as well as replace the existing Centennial West facility with a new Commons Building.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • Harvard Announces Replacement Facility for Native American Program

    Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., recently announced that construction will begin this spring on a new home for its Native American Program, according to university news. The 6,500-square-foot, all-electric building will stand three stories and serve as the central hub for the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP).

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.