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Architects: The Freelon Group Architects
- Area: 48000 ft²
- Year: 2012
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Photographs:Mark Herboth
Text description provided by the architects. The new School of Education and Psychology Building is a three-story, 48,000 Sq. Ft. classroom and faculty office building at Elizabeth City State University. Located adjacent to the new campus entrance, the building will function as a gateway to the campus.
The building program consists of two primary components: teaching environments including a lecture hall and other classrooms and labs, and an administrative/faculty component that includes offices for both the Education and Psychology Departments. The faculty offices will be supported by a departmental reception, faculty lounges, conference rooms and storage/work rooms. The Dean’s suite will have an independent conference room, reception and support spaces. The facility will also include a curriculum resource center and library and a central lobby with meeting and study spaces for students. Audio Visual systems will accommodate distance learning, video conferencing and cutting edge education methodologies.
Architecturally, the building is conceived as a simple rectangular volume from which public spaces have been “carved”. This subtractive process allows the single building, isolated on campus from other buildings, to provide many essential components of a collegiate environment. Within solids of the volume are located an office wing to the west, a classroom and lab wing to the east, and a utility support core to the south. The voids between and below these spaces form an intimate academic plaza enclosed on three sides and flanked by an entrance colonnade leading to the main lobby. Additional carvings produce an entry porch from the east parking area to the same central lobby.
When complete, the facility will serve as both an independent facility for ECSU and as a center for education and outreach to the greater community. A significant goal for the new facility is to create a center that fosters collaboration and interaction between the different departments as well as between faculty and students. Non-traditional, evening classes and community outreach programs will be important components of the curriculum.
The project will be one of North Carolina’s most energy efficient public buildings and a model for energy and water conservation. Utilizing geo-thermal wells, an enthalpy wheel, high performance glazing and other advanced building systems, the design will exceed ASHRAE standards by forty-seven percent.
