Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Student Center Goes From Dreary to Vibrant

  • 11/01/15
Student Center Goes From Dreary to Vibrant

Transforming the student center at Waukesha County Technical College required new and vibrant lighting. Solatube was up to the challenge.

The Waukesha Campus of Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC) in Waukesha, WI, includes a service building, which housed a student center in need of new life.

“The cave-like environment of the student gathering area was very oppressive. It was truly incredible to see the transformation of the space once the Solatube units were installed,” says Keith Johnson, owner of Brighter Concepts.

Dubbed “the cave” for its dark and gloomy atmosphere, the student center was unpopular with students. With a budget of $600,000, the school sought to transform the dark and dreary environment into a bright and cheerful place where students would want to congregate.

According to Matthew Kerr, IIDA, ASAI, senior associate and interior designer at Zimmerman Architectural Studios, the renovation’s main objectives were filling the space with natural light and creating auditory separation without disrupting the visual “openness” of the existing space.

Local Solatube Certified Commercial Distributor, Brighter Concepts, installed twelve Solatube SolaMaster 750 DS Core Units. The units integrated with LED lighting for nighttime use and maximum energy efficiency. Custom square-shaped fabric lanterns added a decorative element at the ceiling level.

According to Brooks Kyler-Eberlein, WCTC interior design instructor, the addition of Solatube Daylighting Systems took “the cave” from an underused, dark space to a vibrant, active hub for students. The use of natural light by day and LED light by night also provided WCTC with an efficient long-term solution to energy costs.

www.solatube.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • From Approval to Opening: Inside Travis Unified School District’s Fast Tracked Campus Expansion

    The Travis Unified School District (TUSD) in northern California includes several elementary and high schools serving over 5,400 students. In 2024, the TUSD Board approved the addition of sixth grade to the Golden West Middle School campus for the 2025–26 school year, setting in motion an accelerated effort to bring new facilities online in less than a year.

  • University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Launches New Emergency Communications System

    The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) recently deployed a new emergency notification and incident management system for its campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with 911Cellular to launch Safe@UTC, a smartphone app allowing university officials to communicate and respond during emergency situations.

  • 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.

  • California School District Completes Elementary School Modernization

    The San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting for a whole-site modernization of Pacific Beach Elementary School, according to local news. The school first opened with one building in 1930 and added six more between 1938 and 1957.