Allan Hancock College Debuts Completed Fine Arts Complex

Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, Calif., recently opened its new Fine Arts Complex to the campus community, according to a news release. The new facility brings together all of the college’s fine arts disciplines—including art, graphics, animation, photography, music, film, dance, and more—underneath a single roof for the first time. The college partnered with architecture firm DLR Group for the project’s design.

The facility measures in at 88,000 square feet and features amenities like a performance space with a capacity of 400; rehearsal space for dance, band, and choruses; ceramics studios, recording studios, painting studios, and graphic design studios; a film classroom and screening room; and labs for photography and digital media. The building also features a two-story central gathering space and an outdoor courtyard for interdisciplinary collaboration.

“The grand opening celebration for the new Fine Arts Building is also a celebration of new opportunities for the arts moving into a single location on campus,” said DLR Group Principal Dennis Bree, AIA, LEED. “Students from all arts disciplines will gather to inspire each other and celebrate creativity with a facility that connects them to daylight, landscape, and modern technology. Our design team is thrilled to open new areas for social gathering, critical discussion, and display that showcase the incredible talent of our students at Allan Hancock College.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • University of Illinois Moves Forward with College Sports’ Largest Digital Scoreboard

    The University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill., recently announced a series of upgrades to Gies Memorial Stadium that will include the largest scoreboard in college sports, according to a news release.

  • classroom with crystal ball on top of a desk

    Call for Opinions: Spaces4Learning 2026 Predictions for Educational Facilities

    As 2025 winds to a close, the Spaces4Learning staff is asking its readers—school administrators, architects, engineers, facilities managers, builders, superintendents, designers, vendors, and more—to send us their predictions for educational facilities in 2026.

  • Different Starting Points, Same End Goal

    Higher education campuses can enhance student experience by implementing mobile credentials to streamline building access, on-campus payments, and access to other amenities. This enables students to connect to their campuses through the technology they use most: their mobile devices.

  • North Dakota State University Completes Music School Renovation

    North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D., recently announced that construction on the Challey School of Music has finished, according to a news release. The university partnered with Foss Architecture & Interiors for design and Kraus-Anderson for construction services, and construction began in July 2024.

Digital Edition