The design team for the Student Success Building – and the Metro State faculty and staff expected to occupy the building once it is constructed – shared their visions and goals for the new building with each other last week at a two-day “Eco Charette and Visioning Session” on campus.

Architect Angela Feddersen Heinze of RNL, which is leading the eight-firm design consulting group on the project, led the charette. “This is your building,” she said. “Today we hope to hear about your dreams for it.”

And they did. Everyone, from the students to President Stephen Jordan, shared their vision.

One vision, voiced by Vice President for Student Services Kathy MacKay, was of the building as the “campus living room,” a warm and welcoming focal point for students and visitors. “This building will be the first point of contact for many students and their families. Ideally it reflects the College’s diversity, in its many forms.”

Others described the need for a building that would be “iconic” and provide a specific architectural identity for the College. Derrick Haynes, director of Student Academic Success, said, “Because we have no dorms, we must be very deliberate in building community.”

Haynes also noted the importance of “one-stop shopping” for student services. “We’d like to be able to walk a student to the door and point them directly to the office where they can get what they need.”

Jacqueline McLeod , faculty coordinator of the First Year Success Program, concurred, saying the building should give students the sense that they have easy access to all the services they need.

Students in attendance spoke about the need for study lounges and places for students to socialize, and of many students’ keen interest in making the building “eco-friendly.” They also said they would like technology incorporated into the building and an eating space.

Staff from two offices that typically see long lines at certain times of the semester – financial aid and academic advising – discussed the need to have warm, inviting space outside their offices, as well as the need for expandable space during crunch times such as the beginning of the semester, and the importance of “adjacencies,” such as not placing offices expecting lines next to each other.

Other faculty and staff members discussed such issues as accessibility for people with disabilities, student lockers, faculty/staff lounge or gathering space, the need for clear signage and way-finding so students can easily access what they need.

Jordan: setting the stage
Echoing many of the sentiments expressed by faculty and staff, in a session later in the day, Jordan addressed the need for the building to be welcoming and bring people in, to be a gateway into the campus, to incorporate leading-edge technology, and to include well-planned outside space.

“Because this is the first building of what will ultimately be the Metro State Neighborhood (of several more buildings), it needs to set the stage,” said Jordan. “We also need to recognize that we won’t solve all our space needs with this building.” Jordan stressed his preference for making the building “really good inside,” over expanding it with less attention to design details.

“This building is a unique model in that it’s being designed around the specific academic goal of retention of students through the first year,” he said.

The two-day session is only the beginning of information gathering, as RNL will return Oct. 20-23 to interview future residents of the Student Success Building. To learn more about plans for the Student Success Building, visit Metro State Rising.