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Today we gathered with community and District representatives at Madera Community College for the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Academic Village 2 Building. District Chancellor Dr. Goldsmith, Madera CC President Dr. Reyna and others spoke about how this project was “for the students.” They addressed the need for facilities to support the nursing program, distance learning, and other important career readiness opportunities.

The newest community college in the Nation, The Madera Community College is located within farmland south of Madera California. The college was conceived in the early 1990s & construction completed on Phase 1A &d 1B in 1998. In the years since, this educational facility has rested between vineyards, olive groves, & pistachio trees. Projected housing & commercial development have yet to reach the borders of the campus which gives the college a distinctly remote feel. Students attending classes rarely hang around afterwards, often choosing to wait in their cars between classes, because there is no real place for them to congregate, lounge around or study in between classes. There is a campus culture & community atmosphere that is lacking. In response to this, the most important goal for the design of the new Academic Village Two was to create a cultural center for the campus. A place where students and staff can interact & a place that provides spaces where both feel comfortable enough to congregate at & start to build a more cohesive campus culture.

The two-story Academic Village Two is 41,600 square feet in total. The Floor plan of the building is split into two wings. The south wing supports the Curriculum & the north, Campus Culture.

Curriculum support spaces include:

• Instruction Spaces – The south wing includes large group instruction spaces & lecture classrooms. To support a focus on healthcare education one side of the wing consists of a nearly 3,000 square foot nursing lab with simulation space, isolation room & staff offices.
• Criminology & Distance learning – The Criminology program is in high demand and appropriate learning spaces have been provided to support this. Madera Community College students will also have new spaces for distance learning. These students needed spaces on campus, where they can attend their online classes that they are taking at other facilities within the district.  This allows these students to stay on campus, have more access to programs/offerings on campus & to have a more normal schedule.
• Staff Offices – The second floor south houses over 20 staff offices. By providing a central location for instructors, the College will foster collaborative interaction, mentorship, ease of student access & a greater sense of a campus community.

Campus Culture spaces include:

• Library – Naturally lit, this technology rich space provides students a place to collaborate and congregate socially. For more focused work, the space offers private study rooms & a dedicated computer lab space. This north wing of the first floor is intended to be accessible & welcoming to students. A direct response to the primary goal of the project.
• Activated Circulation – The second-floor circulation has been widened to create “spaces between spaces” where students can chat & eat, meet with professors out of office, or lounge between classes. These mixed seating options are placed where they will enjoy calming views of the campus & farmland beyond.
• Outdoor Courtyards – The design team has “rotated” the large rectangular roof to cover both the East & West sides of the building, creating two outdoor courtyards. These outdoor spaces provide shaded respite from the valley heat for student socialization, group gatherings, & outdoor study.

Design for the building is modern in style. The goal is a light & inviting design that utilizes transparency for connection with the campus.  A bold college color palette punctuates this project as the new core to the campus. The Academic Village Two Building will bring the student body together in new ways, encourage interaction with professors outside of class time, & provide an enriched student experience that will develop pride & community at Madera Community College.

We are thankful to our design team members Buehler Engineering, Lawrence Engineering Group, Hardin Davidson Engineering, Blair Church & Flynn, and Robert Boro Landscape Architect. Also congratulations to BMY Construction on a job well done. And finally, our sincere thanks to the State Center Community College District for the opportunity to work on this amazing project.