Plans for Maricopa college campus take into account area's biggest asset

SIGNAL PEAK, Central Arizona College plans to break ground this year for its new Maricopa Campus. President Dennis Jenkins told the CAC Governing Board Tuesday the first phase of the new campus should be open in January 2013. Architect Mark Kranz of SmithGroup Inc. said the campus will be built on 218 acres south of Bowlin Road and west of White and Parker Road. The first phase is planned for the northern part of the site with the desert climate and path of the sun in mind, he said. Buildings will be oriented to the northwest with most exposed windows facing north, south-facing windows under deep-covered walkways and only the shortest walls exposed to the western and eastern sun. “We can do a lot for future energy costs and the operation of the campus just by being smart right off the bat,” he said. The campus also should capture and channel the prevailing breezes. “The livability of a campus in a place like Arizona is unlike any other place in the country,” Kranz said. “We can live outdoors. Students can live outdoors for much of the year.” The site also offers “fantastic views,” he said, of the Seven Mile Mountains to the northwest and the Palo Verde Mountains to the southwest. Kranz said the designers hoped to honor the area’s ranching, farming and Indian cultures. Both the Gila River Indian Community and the Ak-Chin Indian Community are nearby. Ak-Chin swapped 41 acres with the owner of the rest of the 218 acres, San Travasa group, so CAC could buy the site. The entrance for the first phase will be at Bowlin and North Regent Drive, Kranz said. The first three buildings will occupy roughly 75,000 square feet, which is expected to grow to 720,000 square feet in the next 25 or 30 years, when the campus could serve 21,000 students a year. Board member Rick Gibson said Regent Drive is shared with Legacy Traditional School. “How will your group design the entrance to say that we are different from the other institution?” Kranz said there should be enough separation because of the traffic signal; dedicated college signage; landscaped, ceremonial boulevard; entry court; and campus drop-off.

Click here to view this article from its source.