St. Louis COmmunity College
In 2021 Arcturis completed a district-wide masterplan for the St. Louis Community College campuses, titled “STLCC Transformed.” This multi-year effort supported the College’s workforce development mission through modernized facilities and new programming. Arcturis is honored to begin realizing this plan at the Meramec Campus with multiple projects in early design. The first of which is the Center for Emerging Technologies.
This 80,000 SF facility will bring new educational programming to the campus with a focus on emerging and sustainable sciences, engineering, and an expansion of the plant science and horticulture programs. The building, which is targeting LEED Silver certification, will also house the new campus library. This exciting project will feature inspiring teaching and learning spaces for students and educators, create and activate existing and new campus public spaces, and enhance transparency for a welcoming educational environment.
Key design elements:
-A two story entry atrium with grand communicating stair acts as an extension of the library connecting public facing programs with education spaces while creating a new space for students to interact, study, and stay between classes – an important asset for the commuter-based campus.
-Primary building circulation is interwoven with informal study spaces to encourage campus community building and serendipitous interactions.
- A new ground floor horticulture wing connects directly to new greenhouses and enhanced educational gardens surrounding the site.
-A second floor roof terrace with intensive plantings creates direct programming opportunities for sustainable sciences and horticulture while serving as an attractive campus event space.
-A new maker space will support science research and entrepreneurial programming.
-Exterior materials include brick masonry and metal panels in a color palette designed to harmonize with the existing campus. Large areas of glass promote daylighting and improved transparency. Wood is deployed throughout the interior for warmth and comfort.
The Financial Services and Enrollment Center will serve as the new front door to the Meramec Campus. The 70,000 SF project will allow for expansion of the financial programming on campus, with a focus on FinTech programs, entrepreneurial training, and space accounting programming + labs. The first floor of the building features the Enrollment Center which offers recruiting, enrollment, advising, career development, and financial aid services to existing and potential students.
The project design draws people into the central spine which services as a mixing chamber. This glass connector features a series of double height spaces within a transparent box – and provides spaces to study outside of the classroom. The floor plan is laid out to provide ultimate flexibility for the college to evolve the programming to align with job training needs.
