Waubonsee Community College

The Technical Education Center at Waubonsee Community College was designed and constructed to support the rapid growth of the College’s Automotive Technology, Auto Body Repair, and Welding programs.  The building replaces the College’s outdated facility and has been strategically located on the campus to establish a strong identity along an adjacent highway, and to also serve as a dynamic marker at one of the primary entry points leading into the campus.

The building is organized with the Auto Body Repair Lab Wing occupying the upper portion of the sloped site and is highly visible from the adjacent highway; whereas the Automotive Technology Wing occupies the lower portion of the site and accommodates the frequent maneuvering of vehicles in and out of the facility.  Serving these two lab wings, is the Expo, Classroom, and Administrative Wing, which accommodates multi-purpose spaces and academic support functions, and is expressed architecturally with an upper level Event Space supported over the primary building entrance below it.

An internal bridge, finished in the College’s branded red color, connects the various programmatic functions in the building and provides informal gathering space for students to collaborate, while offering expansive views overlooking the Automotive Technology Lab below.