Site

The campus Master plan starts with the site at the street creating newly landscaped and widened access ways that act as view corridors into the site.  A strong sense of arrival and campus identity is achieved along with improved traffic planning and reduction of congestion at peak times.  These new entryways focus on the two new identifying features of the site: the Academic Center courtyard (from Kane Dr.) and the Campus Mall (Stark St.)

The site plan emphasizes connections with new “Academic Loop” and “Sports Complex” connector roads linking the campus internally.  The Visual Arts Village is also emphasized with a “sculpture walk” from the main courtyard to the VA Village.

Additional site improvements include the re-work of the parking areas to make pedestrian pathways accessible, provide on-site treatment of rainwater runoff and include covered and secured bike parking areas for students and employees with an access code.

New Stark Street Entry

New Kane Dr. Entry

Campus Road connections

The connection road bridges the Academic Zone and the Sports complex together winding around the existing pond internally linking these two areas. The Academic loop creates a complete loop road around the campus allowing better access to the Visual Arts  and proposed additions on the East side, as well as, better traffic flow throughout the site.

Bike Parking

Safe and secure bike parking locations create a greener campus that embraces the bike culture to its front door.  Strategically locating the new bike parking at the North and South ends of the Academic Center allow cyclists to ride right up to the campus and integrate into pedestrian traffic flows.

Campus Mall

The college mall continues the connection of the Stark St. entrance to the center of campus allowing the buzz of the campus to be seen from the street.  The new mall bridges the space between the new proposed additions and the existing Academic Center creating an active outdoor space for students and employees to enjoy.

New Campus Mall Connection                                                                                     Campus Mall View to Stark St.

Visual Arts and Warehouse Connection

Ampitheater

An Amphitheter nestled into the hillside South of the Academic center creates a space adjacent to the existing multicultural center open for music, plays, and other campus events.

Site Phasing

Planned phased upgrades to the campus include landscaping, parking and new entry strategies that bring the campus identity to the street, create more efficient parking, and allow for green techniques such as water management and pavement shading to be implemented.  Campus Connection roads are planned linking the Academic zone to the Sports Complex internally and creating a more efficient traffic flow on the site.

Student Services Consolidation and Hood View Terrace

Upgrading the Academic Center opens the door to many opportunities for additions and renovations.  Consolidating Student Services into a new Student Success Center and placing the functions into a new enclosed addition in the 1400 wing and courtyard creates a new “front door” identity for the campus that can be seen from the street.  This Student Success Center is planned to include student services, registration, counseling, computer center, business offices and financial aid and a beautiful view of Mt. Hood acts like a living room for the students and employees to gather and interact.

Courtyards – campus living rooms

Building on the concept of the Student Success Center’s main courtyard, the remaining four courtyards contain a series of smaller enclosed atriums connected through the existing spine with an enclosed walkway. This allows users to move from one end of the Academic Center to the other protected from the rain and harsh winter winds during the year.

New Student Success Center East

New Student Success Center West

New Student Success Center View of Mall

New Student Services Axon

Entry Improvements

Small renovations of the entryways to the Academic Center allow for a sense of identity, entry, and scale to the existing structure, creating a more welcoming campus and a sense of direction throughout.

Existing Sample entry

Academic Building Phasing

A planned upgrading to the Academic center allows for a stronger and more efficient use of the spaces, adding new technologies, improving the teaching and learning environments, allowing seismic upgrades and providing a learning environment acclimated to the current and future needs of  students and employees.

Future planning for the campus currently consists of a building corridor directly adjacent to the East side of the proposed campus mall.  These new buildings include an Industrial Technology replacement and a General Sciences building.  With these two new additions, the campus can re-purpose space in the Academic Center for much needed classrooms, as well as, a strong definition of identity with the new Campus Mall.

The Mt. Hood Campus currently exists in a state of  wayfinding identity crisis.  The goals of the wayfinding system is to provide place naming at streets, walkways, courtyards and key destination.  Each building will be given an address including each wing of the Academic Center.  A sign family system will be planned and implemented over time as funding and needs require.  At each of the main entrance roads, a arrival sign with information on the events of the day will be posted to greet visitors.  All of these strategies combine to treat the visitor as a cherished guest and help reduce the stress of coming to campus.

Sample strategy 1

Sample strategy 2

Each of the planning solutions will be set to a cost estimate and then prioritized in the Spring 2010.  The priorities may change over time but allow the campus to position itself for State and Federal funding sources and implementing improvements over time.