Metropolitan Community College’s Master Plan Update for Campuses and Centers is complete, the implementation has begun and the progress is evident on MCC’s Fort Omaha Campus. Recent additions on the south end of campus—the Sorensen Parkway entrance, the Institute for the Culinary Arts and the renovation of the historic Mule Barn—have already led to increases in community collaboration. These changes are just the start of the transformation.

PROGRAMMING PROGRESS UPDATE

Elkhorn Valley Campus

BVH Architects presented to the Board of Governors a preliminary brief of their Program Statement for the Arts and Classroom Building at Elkhorn Valley Campus. Their proposed program includes a new building with a physical connection to the north end of the existing building. The current Arts and service spaces would be vacated, creating space in the existing building to be reallocated for math, science, and general education uses.

Objectives of the project include:

• Design a new Arts, Languages, and General Classroom building that will serve as the focal point of the Elkhorn Valley Campus
• Renovate available space in the existing Elkhorn Valley building to accommodate the most efficient and effective space reallocation program.
• Create a specific identity for the Elkhorn Valley Campus as a connected, community-oriented center for the arts.
• Create better connectivity and flow for pedestrians in and around the two academic buildings and parking lot.
• Maximize exposure to Dodge Street.
• Provide new equipment and furnishings as required for flexibility and usability.

Fort Omaha Campus

MCC's Master Plan Update calls for Centers of Specialization,  including migration of construction-related trades programs to the Fort Omaha Campus. After a preliminary presentation of the current programming information in early October, HDR Architects are meeting with individual program areas to assure they have allotted appropriate space and support for the construction related programs slated to migrate to Fort Omaha Campus. Instructors and staff are beginning their own transition to a new Problem-Based Learning model, where the new facility will allow more collaboration between distinct areas of the trades.

Building Programming Explained

This effort is an in-depth process of envisioning for future program delivery supported by stakeholder consensus and space needs. The entire campus and surrounding community is invited to participate in the process of providing a vision for new learning and community spaces on campus. The architectural programming phase includes calculating space used by each department and making projections for future needs based on enrollment trends. Defining an overall vision for these brand new spaces will occur before any determinations are made on departmental changes.

What You Can Expect

For updated Elkhorn Valley Campus and Fort Omaha Campus programming meetings and information please see Project Details page.

Programming is underway for three separate endeavours. Helping to identify needs and develop ideas for the proposed building projects are three local architecture firms, selected by campus administration. HDR Architecture is currently meeting with students, faculty, and staff to develop ideas for the CAET (Center for Advanced & Emerging Technologies) and Construction Education Center. Holland Basham Architects will be working on programming of a Classroom and Student Services facility also at FOC, and Bahr Vermeer Haecker Architects will begin programming an Arts and General Classroom facility at the Elkhorn Valley Campus.

New buildings as well as re-use of existing facilities will all be possibilities at this time. MCC’s Facilities Master Plan was updated in 2010 to account for growth in space and facilities as the college’s population changes. The Master Plan update emphasizes smart and sustainable growth to coincide with the college’s long-term vision.