Mohave Community College Student Services Center & Building 200 Renovation

A new magnet for student enrollment and retention

Client

Mohave Community College

Location

Kingman, Arizona

Size

12,500 sq ft new / 15,400 sq ft renovation

Expertise

Learning

Project Team

Mohave Community College lies in a valley between the Hualapai and Cerbat Mountain Ranges, straddling the edge between the Mohave Desert and the city of Kingman. As a commuter college on the outskirts of Arizona, MCC needed a space to serve students, create connections, and cultivate a shared identity for the college. The new Student Services Center acts as the heart of the campus: transparent and open; it is a place for movement and interaction or serenity and reprieve, but always the hub of student life.

The new Center is situated at the geographic center of the campus with clear views connecting interior and exterior spaces to welcome students into the building. An abundance of natural daylight and garden views from the interior deepen the connection to the surrounding land. Outdoor spaces of varying scales and privacy promote both social interaction and thoughtful study while strengthening the students’ presence on campus. The materials defining these outdoor spaces, like the warm wood beams and stucco walls, move from exterior to interior, merging the spaces seamlessly.

Inside the Center, administrative offices from across the campus have been consolidated into one building, now interconnected, efficient, and more accessible to students. The new library bookstacks, reading room, and tutoring center connect to the computing commons via conference and study spaces and an expansive roof that raises towards the south for clerestory windows to softly light the interior. Throughout the open and public spaces are surfaces for displaying student artwork that builds the sense of student community while highlighting their creativity. These same strategies—open spaces connected through color, light, and exterior views—are found in the renovation of the adjacent administration and classroom building, setting the standard for future campus development focused on a vibrant student experience.