Description
The master plan for St. Charles Community College, a new campus on 140 acres of rolling land in a rapidly developing suburb, recognizes that commuting students of many ages leave and return to the campus several times during the day. To incorporate convenient perimeter parking, the buildings are positioned to create a sequence of sheltered, internal courtyards. It is reminiscent of Matisse’s cutouts – simple building forms define the “negative space” of interconnected courtyards varying in shape and landscape treatment.
Shaping the campus’s open spaces was as much a consideration as the design of the buildings. From the main plaza occupying a high ridge plateau outside metropolitan St. Louis, one has a view of Missouri’s rolling hills, farmland and distant villages. The man-made lake links the images of natural forms to the built environment. The campus includes 230,000 sf of built space consisting of the Academic Building, Student Center, Learning Resource Center, and Campus Services Building and anticipates expansion that will further enhance the environment and respect the original planning principles.
Distinctions
- American School & University
- Citation for Design Excellence
- AIA Central States Region
- Honor Award
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“The college has a Midwest quality - familiar brick color, familiar silhouettes that are not modishly posturing, but possess a direct normalcy. The best thing about it is that it does have a ‘hit you in between the eyes agenda’ like so many buildings try to have. The building complex does not have self-conscious features that one can discuss - rather there is a sense of humility, environmental response, and appropriateness to the site.”
- AIA St. Louis
- Honor Award for Excellence in Architecture