Lane Community College Industry & Trades Education Center (ITEC)

The Industry and Trades Education Center establishes a new gateway for Lane Community College that draws people into campus through celebration and connection. Previously pushed into cramped, outdated buildings at the “back” of campus, the career technical education (CTE) programs are now accentuated in inviting, daylit spaces. ITEC’s dramatic, transparent features are highly visible from the surrounding areas and put trades programs proudly on display, connecting both CTE with the rest of campus and LCC with the community beyond.

Directly informed by the needs of students and local industry partners, the 55,000-square-foot building represents a significant community investment in workforce recruitment and development. Flexible high-bay spaces, classrooms, and labs adapt easily to support emerging technologies for Industry 4.0, manufacturing technology, construction technology, unmanned aerial systems, and apprenticeship training. Learning spaces are designed to accommodate rapidly changing equipment and teaching pedagogies with additional capacity built into building systems, which are left exposed. Thus, the LEED Gold building itself serves as a teaching tool.

The location and feel of interior spaces intentionally prioritize well-being. Student support services are located front and center, removing stigma and barriers to access. CTE students — who said they often feel out of place in core campus buildings with their work boots and clothes — feel dignified and comfortable among durable interior materials like mass plywood structural decking, concrete floors, steel structure, and furniture and fixtures inspired by Ford and Carhartt. Ample daylight and views, a shared kitchenette, a range of study spaces, and comfortable lounges serve CTE students who balance work, family, and training.

Positioned at a major but underused campus entry, the three-story building transformed a former parking lot and daunting slope into a prominent and accessible campus entry with public art and gathering spaces. Further activating this part of campus is a double-sided elevator that provides a fully accessible and elegant solution to the site’s steep grade change and offers easy, intuitive navigation day or night. Translucent wall panels and monitors in the high-bay spaces create bright, spacious workshop environments and act as a glowing beacon with a distinctive sawtooth expression. Landscape moves tie this district into the heart of campus, bringing more people in contact with industrial skills and technology and creating the opportunity for cross-pollination.