Sierra College

Science Building Phase 1

The replacement Science Building will allow Sierra College to expand its Natural History Museum, embrace the concepts of science on display and provide a connection to key campus anchors.

The new building will include approximately 27,700 sf of teaching labs for agricultural science/environmental science & sustainability, anatomy & physiology, astronomy, geography, biology (animal and plant), chemistry (organic and inorganic), earth science, nutrition and microbiology.

The teaching labs are designed for flexibility, incorporating mobile instructor podiums and marker boards to accommodate varying pedagogical styles. The labs also feature glass display areas to add transparency and prominently exhibit collections.

While the indoor classrooms and labs are critical, the College also is a proud home to a sprawling nature area along the north and west of the campus that includes trails and a salmon habitat stream. The campus has an active ECOS Club (Environmentally Concerned Organization of Students) and several areas of developed arboreta zones around the campus. These resources are used daily by science classes as an outdoor supplement to the indoor spaces.

In addition to teaching labs, the building also houses an active planetarium, classrooms, offices, library space and support space. The new building replaces the outdated 1960s Sewell Hall.

Location

Rocklin, California

Size

54,553 GSF

Services

Laboratory programming, planning, design and documentation

Architect

LPA / Lake|Flato