Allan Hancock College Santa Maria, California
A student services center houses many different functions that have complex inter-relationships with each other. Because these services have been developed and expanded over time, they are usually spread all over campus
Location
Santa Maria, California
Sector
Education
Service
Architecture
Client
Allan Hancock Community College District
Status
Completed
Size
68,000 SF
Designing a student services center that brings everyone together for the first time can be a challenge. In designing the One-Stop Student Services Center at Allan Hancock College, Steinberg Hart created a multi-level communications plan to make sure that all voices on campus were heard, including user groups, students, and administrators.
Through a combination of workshops and individual meetings, the design team developed an understanding of how services operated on campus and what the users needed. This transparent process allowed everyone the ability to participate. At various key milestones during the process, the Steinberg Hart team also made detailed presentations to the President, senior staff, and Board of Trustees to keep them apprised of the progress and obtain their feedback. The building design achieved a LEED Silver rating.
The open lines of communication created a forum where larger campus goals could be discussed. Through these discussions, the design team identified an opportunity to integrate art into the building as well as to create an outdoor space that complements the immediately adjacent Student Union—the student-oriented “Events Plaza.”
