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

  • Texas State University Completes Stadium Renovations

    Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, recently announced that it has completed a series of additions and renovations to its football stadium, according to a news release. Formerly known as the Bobcat Stadium End Zone Complex, the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center is an 85,000-square-foot expansion featuring hospitality spaces, banquet spaces, exterior concourses, and upgrades to the field house.

  • Construction Begins on East Austin CTE-Focused High School

    The Del Valle Independent School District recently announced that construction has begun on a new CTE-focused high school in Austin, Texas, according to a news release. Del Valle High School will measure in at 473,338 square feet and have the capacity for 2,400 students.

  • sapling sprouting from a cracked stone

    Lessons in Resilience: Disaster Recovery in Our Schools

    Facility managers play a pivotal role in how well a school weathers and recovers from a crisis. Whether it's a hurricane, a flood, a tornado, or a man-made event, preparation determines resilience.

  • Malibu High School Campus Completes $102M Phase 1 of Construction

    Malibu High School in Malibu, Calif., recently announced that it has completed phase 1 of construction for its new campus, a news release reports. The first phase consisted of developing and modernizing the site of a former elementary school into a new, 70,000-square-foot, two-story facility.

Digital Edition