Date/Time: November 7, 2026 | 3:15 – 4:15 pm

Room: TAHOMA 1

Abstract: At the Community College of Aurora (CCA), the act of building a new structure is also the act of imagining a new future. In partnership with BVH Architecture, CCA has created an “Alternative Environment” that replaces academic silos with intentional “Educational Collisions.” This facility—CCA’s first in decades—expands the campus capacity to empower a diverse, first-generation student population by co-locating Construction Management and Diesel Technology alongside Biology, Physics, and Innovation Labs.

In this session, College Leadership and the Architectural Team share how they moved beyond standard campus structures to design a building that stands as an affirmation of mission. Through the use of transparent labs, “fishbowl” classrooms, and shared gathering spaces, the design demystifies higher education and fosters a culture of belonging. Attendees will learn how this facility serves as a physical and psychological bridge for the Aurora Public Schools P-TECH program and industry partners, creating a seamless pathway from high school to high-growth careers. Discover how architecture, when grounded in the values of People, Knowledge, and Wonder, becomes a catalyst for transformation. Large group discussion of topics and specific design features, the underlying reasons for their importance, and built solutions. Small group workshops will explore how to implement and apply the concepts introduced with participants challenged to consider these while exploring approaches and design solutions. The key challenge for all will be to explore these holistically and go beyond avoiding or compensating for prior trauma to create environments that are truly supportive, nurturing, and restorative to users’ health, wellbeing, and learning.

Learning Objectives:

1. Mission-Aligned Design: Learn how to translate an institutional mission of supporting first-generation learners into intuitive, open spaces that foster belonging.
2. Creating Interdisciplinary Collisions: Evaluate the pedagogical impact of co-locating STEM and CTE programs to bridge the gap between scientific theory and technical application.
3. Designing for Visibility: Identify specific architectural strategies—transparency, light, and circulation—that destigmatize technical education and make “Learning Without Limits” visible to all.
4. Cross-Sector Partnership Models: Gain tools for structuring facilities that integrate K-12 (P-TECH), higher education, and industry partners to strengthen regional workforce pipelines.