JonesDBR worked alongside Kirksey Architecture to provide mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and technology engineering services for the Walter C. Schwartz Building, a new academic and commons building for the Blinn College RELLIS Campus in Bryan, Texas. The 85,000 square foot facility features a marketplace, student center, campus health clinic, 19 classrooms, 8 laboratories, and is designed to accommodate up to 3,000 students.
The goal for this building, which is the hub of the Blinn College presence on the RELLIS Campus was to create a sense of place and to make students feel like they are truly part of a college campus. This is accomplished by incorporating transparency and activity on the first floor. Collaboration areas create social spaces for students in the Welcome Center and Learning & Library Center. The first floor also houses the Blinn Marketplace, a one-stop shop operated by Barnes & Noble providing textbooks and supplies.
The second floor includes classrooms, 2 physics labs, supplemented with group study rooms, an open lounge, Blinn’s Student Services offices, the Testing Center, and the Campus Health Clinic.
The third floor features additional classroom space, as well as the microbiology and organic chemistry labs. These state-of-the-art laboratories include all the scientific equipment students need to master their STEM studies.
The fourth floor features collaborative learning classrooms that use the latest educational technology so instructors can demonstrate models using a smart monitor system to share screens, allowing students to log in and contribute from their laptops, phones, or tablets. The fourth floor also houses chemistry labs, a multi-purpose meeting room, the faculty and dean suite, and a multi-purpose room.