A new building at the Metropolitan Community College (MCC) in Omaha has become a versatile research, development, and training resource for students and industry. Designed by BNIM, the 65,000-square-foot Center for Advanced and Emerging Technology (CAET) includes a virtual-reality lab, 3-D printing, laser cutters, plasma-cutting technology, and a high-bay space for such endeavors as prototyping new equipment.
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Central to an MCC 2010 master plan, which prioritized consolidating campus facilities, improving education delivery, and creating a job pipeline, the CAET also provides cutting-edge facilities to train professional teams. The contemporary steel structure, clad with white precast-concrete panels on the east and west, opens onto a two-story high-bay volume called Innovation Central with glazed garage doors. A main corridor on the north, the primary circulation spine, is the social hub and connects Innovation Central to the rest of the program: training rooms, a data center, multifunction spaces, and offices. Glass curtain walls provide views and daylight that reaches into interior training rooms, while a perforated metal screen on the building’s south elevation manages solar gain. The architects redeveloped an existing urban site for the project, where they improved stormwater management for the area. They also created pedestrian and public transportation connections to the neighborhood.
Since CAET opened in 2017, corporate training at MCC is up more than 300 percent, generating income for the school and employment opportunities for students. The building now serves as a national training center for EPI-USA, a California-based data-center-training organization. Additionally, in the first year of a new Prototype Design degree, six of 17 enrolled students received job offers after completing only half of a two-year program. Designed to be adaptable, the LEED Gold building will allow the school to grow and adapt to suit the spatial and technological needs of future students and business partners.
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CreditsArchitect: BNIM (Design Architect / Architect of Record) 317 6th Ave #100, Des Moines, IA 50309
Holland Basham Architects (Executive Architect) 119 S 49th Ave, Omaha, NE 68132
Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit: Kevin Nordmeyer AIA, Jeff Shaffer, Dana Sorensen, Rod Kruse, Carey Nagle, Tina Wehrman, Sarah Hirsch
Architect of record: BNIM (Design Architect / Architect of Record) 317 6th Ave #100, Des Moines, IA 50309
Associate architect(s): Holland Basham Architects (Executive Architect) 119 S 49th Ave, Omaha, NE 68132
Interior designer: BNIM
Engineers: MEP: Morrissey Engineers, Omaha Structural: Nielsen-Baumert, Omaha
Consultants: Civil and Landscape: Lamp Rynearson, Omaha AV/IT: The Sextant Group, Kansas City
General contractor: Kiewit Corporation, Omaha
Photographer: BNIM | Nick Merrick © Hall+Merrick 2017
Client: Metropolitan Community
Size: 65,000 square feet
Cost: $20.4 million
Completion date: June 2017
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SpecificationsExterior Cladding Masonry: Product: Endicott Clay Products Co Metal/glass curtain wall: Product: Kawneer Rainscreen: Product: Knight Wall Precast concrete: Enterprise Precast Concrete, Inc EIFS, ACM, or other: Product: Reynobond ACM Moisture barrier: Product: VaproShield Other cladding unique to this project: Product: Swiss Pearl
Roofing Built-up roofing: Product: Carlisle TPO Metal: Product: Firestone Metal Products
Glazing Glass: Product: Vitro Architectural Glass (Solarban 70XL) Skylights: Product: Solatube
Doors Entrances: Product: Kawneer Metal doors: Product: Steelcraft Wood doors: Product: VT Industries Upswinging doors, other: Product: Schweiss Doors
Interior Finishes Acoustical ceilings: Product: Armstrong Acoustical ceilings: Product: Kinetics Noise Control Suspension grid: Product: Armstrong Suspension grid: Product: Kinetics Noise Control Cabinetwork and custom woodwork: Product: Designer Woods, Inc Paints and stains: Product: Sherwin Williams Paneling: Product: Conwed Wall Technology Solid surfacing: Product: Avonite Floor and wall tile: Product: American Olean Carpet: Product: Mohawk Raised flooring: Product: Interstitial Systems
Lighting Interior ambient lighting: Product: National Lighting Downlights: Product: Lucifer Exterior: Product: Lumenpulse Dimming system or other lighting controls:
Conveyance Elevators/escalators: Product: ThyssenKrupp
Energy Energy management or building automation system: Product: GE Energy Management Other unique products that contribute to sustainability: Product: Carlisle Roof Garden |
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