Project Description
UAA’s Kenai River Campus is located in the heart of Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula where oil exploration and production is the cornerstone of the local economy. Responding to this economic driver the Campus has evolved into Alaska’s premier education center for the industry. The existing campus is a linear collection of forgettable buildings fronted by a sea of parking. The Career & Technical Center (CTC) boldly breaks the pattern setting the stage for the campus transformation from an auto-centric to a student-centric environment. Responding to Alaska’s extreme weather conditions CTC is also a pedestrian pathway, connecting student housing to the main campus. Pathways and seating areas are carefully configured to use the building to protect them from north winds and warm them with the south sun.
The building’s signature space is a glass enclosed process tech simulator dubbed ‘Big Blue’, named after the original simulator donated by Chevron in the 1960’s. It provides an element of educational theater where active learning is viewed from within and without. Carefully modulated natural light floods the space and adjacent lobby areas that promote informal gathering and social learning.
Industrial materials, exposed structure, piping and electronics mirror actual working environments used as teaching tools by faculty. Communications, boiler and fan rooms are oversized for use as teaching spaces and have windows into the main entry lobby. Sustainability features, such as sun shading, motorized windows for natural ventilation, displacement ventilation system and sensor controlled LED lighting are a visible and active part of the learning environment.