Cleveland State Health & Science Center

Cleveland State Community College, located approximately 30 miles north of Chattanooga, was one of three community colleges built by Tennessee in the mid-1960’s to address geographic deficiencies in higher education access across the state. The architecture of the campus is indicative of the time period and utilizes brick, concrete, and accents of locally sourced Crab Orchard stone. Most of the buildings located on the campus were completed at the college’s founding with almost no further capital investment made for new construction over the next 60 years – until the completion of the new Health & Science Center.
 
Being the first new structure on campus, the college sought a building with a significant physical presence that would be compatible with the established architecture, while also asserting and marking its place within the campus timeline. The exterior design nods to the “mid-century modern” campus and embellishes the aesthetic with additions of metal and wood. The planar forms of the building respond to the solar characteristics of the site and provide appropriate shading, massing, poche, and variegated material interest. These exterior materials and planar elements define the building entry, while also passing into the interior to dematerialize the distinction between “outside” and “inside”.
 
The new facility houses nursing, medical assisting, EMS/paramedic, and other science and allied health programs. These curricula have been in high demand with hands-on learning modalities expanded, resulting in the need for more specialized spaces. The design team worked closely with faculty to consider their teaching methodologies, resulting in a design that includes a nursing simulation lab with mock hospital patient rooms, laboratories, flexible classrooms, and student amenities. Lounge and seating areas are distributed throughout the building to enhance the student experience beyond the typical classroom building setting.

Framework for Design Excellence