Community College Design
We spoke with Design Principal Darren Schwend about engineering design for community college facilities . In his nearly three decades in the industry , Darren has designed for Community Colleges across the Pacific Northwest , including Bellevue College , Seattle Central College , Clover Park Technical College , Green River Community College , and others .
We thought Darren would be an ideal guide to take you through the world of community college facility design in 2024 , how trends today differ from those in the past and how he anticipates colleges will meet the education challenges of the future .
Let ’ s start by talking a bit about you . When did you first start working in the Community College sector ?
I think I started around the year 2000 . Somewhere around that time , I first became involved with some community colleges , some work at Green River College and others . I ’ ve been here for 27 years , so the projects are blending slightly , but I ’ ve been working in higher education for the last 20 years .
How has designing for Colleges evolved since you first began ?
One of the biggest things that has evolved is that , in the past , there were community colleges , and now there are public institutions . So , all projects would be delivered using a design-bid-build method . We would prepare a great set of construction documents that would be bid to qualified public bidders , and then we would have a typical construction process where we would review submittals . We would be answering RFIs , walking them through the field with the team , and helping them .
One of the significant changes is that some of our projects are now using alternate procurement methods , particularly design-build delivery . Now , we ’ re teaming up with a design partner early on . The college will hire an architect and a general contractor , and then they will select the trades . We will team up with a trade partner , either a mechanical or electrical contractor , and work directly with them , which can streamline the process .
FEATURING Darren Schwend
Design Principal
We can have cost certainty earlier and leverage our trusted relationships to work with teams where we know there ’ s less risk for the owner , us , and everyone .
It ’ s fun because , for example , I often don ’ t care if I use the blue pump , the red pump or the green pump . They ’ re all of a similar quality , but working with a contractor , we can find out : “ Well , for this certain size . This one ’ s lower cost right now .” Or that they prefer a specific one because of their relationships . So we can make decisions that benefit both parties . Those things that help the design-build ultimately benefit the owner , the students , and the faculty .
What long-term benefits do Community Colleges value the most from their new facilities or significant renovations of existing buildings ?
One of the big things that colleges are looking for is flexibility . They want to be able to use their classrooms and faculty spaces for lots of different uses . This is important because there are aspects of the labor agreements , and certain facility staff are members of different unions . Colleges have requirements for the work environment , hours , and other things like that . If we can provide a facility that maintains comfort requirements more accurately or has better lighting and is very flexible , it allows facility managers to meet demands that sometimes seem against each other . It allows them more flexibility to meet the needs of all the staff , students , and even the public . We had one project in the past where a space was designed to be a transient space , and it was not conditioned to the requirements of a classroom . But then the space was so beautiful that the college started to rent it out to the community .