Chandler-Gilbert Community College Student Center
Chandler, Ariz.
Architekton

Architekton designs a front porch for a growing campus, creating an indoor/outdoor room where students and faculty can gather

© Bill Timmerman

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By Clifford A. Pearson

Part of the enormous Maricopa Community Colleges, which comprise 10 campuses and 280,000 students, Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) serves the fast-growing East Valley of Phoenix. During the past decade, the area has traded agricultural jobs for employment in light manufacturing and high-tech industries, doubling the size of the city of Chandler since 1990 and fueling demand for educational facilities of all kinds.

Like many schools that have expanded quickly, CGCC had emphasized classroom buildings and specific-use facilities such as libraries, gyms, and arts centers. But its Pecos campus (one of three in the college) had no space where students and faculty could come together in an informal setting. A three-day programming charrette, run by the Tempe-based firm Architekton, showed the need for a relaxed place that could accommodate a broad range of uses—from offices for career placement and student-life organizations to a venue for socializing and celebrations.

Since the first buildings opened in 1986, the school had expanded rapidly to the north, leaving the original social hub (a courtyard and classroom building) at what is now the south edge of campus. “We did a heart transplant,” explains John Kane, AIA, Architekton’s design principal, “by moving the center of social activity to the new building.” With future growth planned to the north, the 20,000-square-foot student center designed by Architekton should serve as a hub for years to come.

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Formal name of Project:
Chandler-Gilbert Community College Student Center

Location:
Chandler, Ariz.

Gross square footage:
20,000 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$2.2 Million

Owner:
Maricopa County Community College District
www.maricopa.edu

Architect:
Architekton
464 S Farmer, 101
Tempe, AZ 85281
p 480.894.4637
f 480.894.4638
www.architekton.com