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

  • Universities Continue to Launch Multimillion-Dollar Campus Transformations

    What makes the current wave of campus development especially noteworthy is its emphasis on multi-use functionality and community integration. Institutions are no longer investing solely in academic or athletic facilities in isolation. Instead, they are creating destinations that blend recreation, health, housing, and event-driven economic activity.

  • Academy of Classical Education Breaks Ground in Louisiana

    Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) recently announced the groundbreaking of a new public charter school in Covington, La., according to a news release. The Academy of Classical Education at Covington will enroll students in grades K–8 and is scheduled for completion in August 2026, just in time for the new school year.

  • Quattrocchi Kwok Architects Opens New Office in Denver

    Education planning and design firm Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) recently announced that it has opened a new office in Denver, Colo., the firm’s third overall. QKA is headquartered in Santa Rosa, Calif., and runs an East Bay Area office in Oakland.

  • 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.