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The Saguaro Building at Mesa Community College is a Living Laboratory

Posted By Bridgette Meinhold On July 28, 2011 @ 5:20 pm In Schools | Comments Disabled

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Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College, SmithGroup, Saguaro Building, desert architecture, living laboratory, shade screen

The 42,870 sq ft community college facility provides space for both the life sciences and the performing arts with classrooms and a black box performance space downstairs, and faculty offices upstairs. At the entrance to the building, a cafe and lounge area welcomes students, faculty and visitors acting as an informal student union for the growing college. Large trellis surround the building to create shady protected zones for students to gather and meet. The performance hall is wrapped on the exterior with steel space frame covered in perforated steel decking to act as a shade screen. This allows air to freely move next to the building and protects the interior from solar heat gain.

The surrounding landscape is reflected in the building’s desert architecture, which makes use of nature-inspired materials, rusty steel and rock. Drought tolerant landscaping helps the building reduce water usage by 60%. The exterior also features a series of bat roosts on the south facade as well as peep windows from which to watch and study their activity. Mexican Free-tail bat colonies will be observed with cameras and studied by students and faculty. Additionally, the cafe space is surrounded by terrariums, immersing students into the plant and animal life of the Sonoran Desert, including snakes. The project was completed in 2009 and received its LEED Gold certification in 2010.

Images ©Liam Frederick courtesy of SmithGroup

Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College, SmithGroup, Saguaro Building, desert architecture, living laboratory, shade screen — The Saguaro Building isn’t your typical community college educational facility. The most recent addition to the Red Mountain Campus of Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona is actually a living laboratory. Terrariums in the new life sciences and arts

Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College, SmithGroup, Saguaro Building, desert architecture, living laboratory, shade screen — The 42,870 sq ft community college facility provides space for both the life sciences and the performing arts with classrooms and a black box performance space downstairs and faculty offices upstairs.

Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College, SmithGroup, Saguaro Building, desert architecture, living laboratory, shade screen — At the entrance to the building, a cafe and lounge area welcomes students, faculty and visitors acting as an informal student union for the growing college.

Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College, SmithGroup, Saguaro Building, desert architecture, living laboratory, shade screen — Large trellis surround the building to create shady protected zones for students to gather and meet.

Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College, SmithGroup, Saguaro Building, desert architecture, living laboratory, shade screen — The performance hall is wrapped on the exterior with steel space frame covered in perforated steel decking to act as a shade screen.

Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College, SmithGroup, Saguaro Building, desert architecture, living laboratory, shade screen — This allows air to freely move next to the building and protects the interior from solar heat gain.

Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College, SmithGroup, Saguaro Building, desert architecture, living laboratory, shade screen — The surrounding landscape is reflected in the building’s desert architecture, which makes use of nature-inspired materials, rusty steel and rock

Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College, SmithGroup, Saguaro Building, desert architecture, living laboratory, shade screen — The faculty deck offers views of the campus and surrounding desert.

Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College, SmithGroup, Saguaro Building, desert architecture, living laboratory, shade screen — Drought tolerant landscaping helps the building reduce water usage by 60%.

Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College, SmithGroup, Saguaro Building, desert architecture, living laboratory, shade screen — The large lobby acts as an informal student union and gathering space.

Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College, SmithGroup, Saguaro Building, desert architecture, living laboratory, shade screen — Large windows pull in lots of daylighting.

Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College, SmithGroup, Saguaro Building, desert architecture, living laboratory, shade screen — Bright colors make the space vibrant.

Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College, SmithGroup, Saguaro Building, desert architecture, living laboratory, shade screen — Inside the black box performance space.

Red Mountain Campus Mesa Community College, SmithGroup, Saguaro Building, desert architecture, living laboratory, shade screen — The terrariums inside the lobby show off desert plants and animals.