West Georgia Technical College
LaGrange, Georgia

West Georgia Technical College purchased an existing 225,000 sf building for a full campus relocation. The existing Department of Defense Contractor building consists of a two-story administration wing and three large two-story bays of manufacturing space. The interior of this building has become a college campus.

RWH provided programming and master planning services to determine how to transform the building into a college campus with appropriate gathering spaces for students and a clear identity to the community. The resulting master plan programmed the entire building which included health care training areas, automotive and vocational training, to determine the optimal location for the actual renovation within the building that would meet the project budget.

A new building entrance on the east side of the building was designed to connect with the existing parking and to make a clear entry statement for campus. The new entrance is located on axis with the entrance at the front of the building, and is connected by a two-story high sky lit corridor open to structure, which is the organizing element for the project. This two-story corridor serves as the main street of the new campus and promotes interaction between faculty and students. The new entrance is a two-story addition to the building that contains a bridge to the building, monumental stair and elevator, metal siding and glass skin and a curved overhead element with the name of the facility.

Students enter across the bridge at the building’s second floor, which overlooks the new two-story corridor and student bookstore. Descending to the main floor provides access to the main connector and commons/quad area orienting students to traversing corridors leading to classrooms. The commons area also serves as gathering space for students to talk, study, or use computers. Beyond the quad, the corridor continues to the library, administration areas, access to other classrooms, and the student union.

Size: 225,000 sf      Cost: $2,800,000      Completion Date: 2008

Services: Architecture, Interior design, Master Planning

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