Career + Technical Education Building

Project Details

Project Description

The Hugh L. Libby Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center at Johnson County Community College will anchor a new career and technical neighborhood on campus. This dynamic facility provides a new home for the College’s HVAC, Electrical, Automation, Automotive, and Continuing Education programs. The building is composed of a variety of academic environments, from traditional classroom space and student commons areas to 14 specialized labs with state-of-the-art equipment and teaching tools.
Community colleges are a core part of higher education and help position students for success in the transition to four-year university programs or entering their respective professional fields of work [1]. The nimbleness; customizable and personalized learning options; and accessibility that community colleges provide to students can elevate individuals’ educational experiences and career preparation [1].
The Career and Technical Education Center operates as a high-performance environment and is uniquely a living, teaching, and learning laboratory on JCCC campus, allowing students to observe its plumbing, electrical, mechanical, and structural components that are strategically on display throughout the facility. Vibrant interior spaces support learning and instruction for CTE students while also serving as an inviting space for the campus community.
Located as a gateway to the surrounding campus, the building is well positioned to encourage campus connection and to welcome prospective students, visitors, and trade partners. The exterior of the building is thoughtfully sited to provide a rich variety of exterior spaces and unique landscape typologies that vary both in function and style. A large lawn area for active play and shaded hardscape zones for passive gathering and events surround the facility.
The facility implements numerous sustainable strategies, including native meadows of prairie grasses that provide a soft, lush contrast to the refined material expression of the building while assisting in both stormwater treatment as well as minimizing long-term maintenance needs. PV panels line the roof of the exterior pedestrian gateway and provide 20.9% of energy for the building. Overall, the facility and systems perform 37% better than the ASHRAE 90.1 baseline.

Upon entering the CTEC, students, faculty, and visitors are greeted by the Commons, which is the primary social gathering area of the building. This space is directly adjacent to the PV covered gateway and serves as the hub which orients occupants to classrooms, labs, and administrative areas. It also operates as a multi-functional space for academic collaboration, social gathering, or for the College to host trade events, lectures, student orientation, and donor appreciation.
The Automotive program is housed within the south bar of the project and is the largest academic program in the building. The Automotive area has both modern classrooms, teaching labs for transmission and engine maintenance, an indoor auto bay and outdoor auto storage. The indoor auto bay is sited for student views into the building while strategically allowing daylight to enter the space for light sensitive equipment. The Automotive department shares space with the adjacent continuing education program.

Students can choose from 150 career and certificate programs offered by Johnson County Community College. JCCC has the most comprehensive noncredit workforce development program in the Kansas City area [2].

[1] Pfeiffer, J. (2015). The Next Frontier in Innovative Experiential Learning. BNIM. https://www.bnim.com/blog/next-frontier-innovative-experiential-learning

[2] JCCC. (2019). Celebrating New Spaces. JCCC cut ribbons on our newest building and the remodel of another. Johnson County Community College.
https://jccc.exposure.co/celebrating-new-spaces?source=share-jccc