Construction Underway for Housatonic Community College Expansion

Construction Underway for Housatonic Community College ExpansionBRIDGEPORT, CT – Construction has started for the expansion and renovation to Lafayette Hall at Housatonic Community College (HCC).

The Bridgeport, CT, college moved to its current location in 1997. At that time, the college had approximately 2,700 students enrolled and immediately experienced a significant enrollment increase. Current enrollment is 5,369 students.

To accommodate HCC’s steady growth, the college opened its second building, Beacon Hall, at the southern perimeter of the campus in 2008. The additional 174,500 square feet added classrooms, offices, a large multi-use Events Center, Wellness Center, Students Activities Center and enlarged bookstore.

Continuing its pattern of growth, the current 46,000-square-foot addition will create a new Welcome Center, enabling students to move more easily through the enrollment and registration process. Renovated spaces will also enlarge the college library, academic support center, new science labs and additional offices for student services.

HCC President Paul Broadie says, “The new space will allow us to expand academic programs and provide new ones to meet today’s employment requirements. We are projecting adding programs specifically in STEAM (Science, Engineering, Arts, Math) courses.

The $37.5 million project is expected to create over 600 construction-related jobs.

The college will continue all normal procedures and activities throughout the construction process.

Construction is expected to be completed in 2017, in time for the college’s 50th anniversary.

Featured

  • University of Kentucky Receives $150M Gift Toward New Arts District

    The University of Kentucky’s Board of Trustees recently received a $150-million gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation, according to a university news release, to build a new arts district on the campus in Lexington, Ky. The new district will feature a new College of Fine Arts building and a multi-hundred-seat theater, among other amenities.

  • textured paper collage shows a school building on fire as a fire truck sprays water into the flames

    Why a Fire Loss Is More than Flames

    We've all seen what fire damage can do to a property, but the types of damage building owners often encounter after a fire loss can exceed expectations. Having full awareness of the different forms of damage properties can sustain helps owners respond faster, reduce continued damage, and get back on the road to recovery in short order.

  • iPark 87

    Building a Future-Focused Career and Technical Education Center

    A district superintendent shares his team's journey to aligning student passions with workforce demands, and why their new CTE center could be a model for districts nationwide.

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

Digital Edition