Bill Haslam Center for Math and Science

Founded in 1974 with an initial enrollment of 45 students, Pellissippi State Community College is now one of East Tennessee’s largest community colleges with over 11,000 students spread across five campuses. In 1986, 445 acres in west Knoxville was transformed into the flagship campus of the College. Initially consisting of six academic classroom buildings supplemented with minimal recreation and administrative structures, the west Knoxville campus has seen its capacity to accommodate a growing student body diminish in recent years. For over a decade, “temporary” modular classrooms have been deployed in adjacent surface parking lots to ease overcrowding with marginal success. As the first new academic building to be built on campus in decades, the Bill Haslam Center for Math and Science significantly expands access to dedicated learning environments with 18 classrooms, 5 computer labs, and 9 science labs.

Located at the eastern terminus of the existing student quad, the project site eliminates a surface parking lot in favor of the new Math & Science building. The program is organized around a two-story lobby “Connector” that bifurcates the plan and organizes the program into two wings (classrooms & faculty offices to the north, labs to the south). While the building’s primary goal is the expansion of campus academic functions, an underlying design motivation seeks to elevate the student experience. Historically, community colleges have primarily focused on meeting the minimum “transactional” academic needs of commuting students that arrive on campus for class and then immediately depart afterward. The design of the new Math and Science building offers students opportunities for continued engagement beyond the classroom setting – incorporating soft seating areas, student meeting rooms, and built-in lounge benching throughout for a more meaningful scholastic experience.

The prominent location of the new Math and Science building also provides an opportunity to create a welcoming and identifiable new “front door” for the campus. The adjacent existing 1980’s architecture features extensive use of white EIFS with accents of red brick and glass block. The new building exterior respects the campus context while updating & contrasting the material ratios in favor of a highly durable, and low maintenance, majority red brick design with accents of white glazed brick, curtain wall, and translucent glass accents.

Framework for Design Excellence

Design for Integration
• Although primarily an academic building, the campus wanted to address the changing needs of the student body – younger, more full-time students that want a social college experience and space to decompress when not in class.
• The State Building Commission’s Tennessee High Performance Building Requirements were reviewed in depth with the client, helping inform the performance goals throughout design and construction.

Design for Equitable Communities
• A variety of social spaces provides opportunities for non-programmed use of the building by students of various backgrounds. Without adequate social spaces, historically many of the community college students end up taking breaks isolated in their cars.
• The design team hosted a community awareness and fundraising event for the project stakeholders with visual exhibits.

Design for Ecosystems
• Preservation of mature trees and inclusion of only native species for new plants.
• Invasive tree species were removed.
• Heat-island effect was reduced by replacing existing surface parking.
• The building is used to acoustically separate the green space from the parking lot.

Design for Water
• Existing site impermeability was reduced
• No irrigation is used
• Low-flow & low-flush plumbing fixtures were used

Design for Economy
• The design team went through extensive program verification to understand the specific space and equipment needs of the educators, reducing excess area where possible.
• Classrooms that can be used for multiple purposes were included to reduce the building area.
• Durable and local brick was used as an economical material.

Design for Energy
• Clerestory windows in the building help provide natural light into the core.

Design for Well-being
• Central monumental stair promotes occupant activity.
• Natural light increases occupant comfort.
• The site design connects to central green space for recreation.
• Rooftop patio space extends opportunities for outdoor use.
• Low-VOC and no added urea-formaldehyde materials are specified throughout.

Design for Resources
• Locally extracted / manufactured materials include: Cement from Knoxville, TN. Fly ash from Kingston, TN. Crushed limestone from Jefferson City, Tennessee. Manufactured sand from Midway, TN. Natural sand and gravel from Newport, TN. Sound attenuating noise barriers / absorbers from Knoxville, TN. Plastic laminate countertops and cabinets and solid surface countertops from Nashville, TN. The Pyro-Guard interior wood used in this project is regionally (within 500 miles) sourced / manufactured from Thompson, GA. The composite metal wall panels used in this project are sourced / manufactured regionally from Greenville, SC.

Design for Change
• The floor to ceiling windows on two sides of the first-floor lobby and the clerestory windows on the second floor allow the circulation of natural light in case of power outage.

Design for Discovery
• Recycling stations are built-in to encourage occupants to engage in conscious behavior.
• The OPR was developed early in program verification and utilized by the commissioning agent.
• Design outcomes and lessons-learned are shared with the design team.
• Post-Occupancy evaluation is planned in the near future.