New Administration Center Uses Existing Space Creatively

A creative design transformed breezeway space between two existing buildings into signature space that reimages Indian River State College’s Fort Pierce campus entry point. The project resulted in a $3 million, 25,000-square-foot Administration Center for the college’s Fort Pierce campus.

According FLA Director of Design Joseph J. Sorci, the new facility, formerly known as Building A, has been praised by college administrators for its creative use of existing space. “Our objective was to make the most of an older building; to provide a fresh, simple, and efficient facility that gives landmark presence while satisfying all program requirements.”

“We devised a plan that created a tremendous amount of useable space within the existing footprint and saved the time and expense of building an all-new facility, not to mention eliminating the need for new site development,” says Sorci.

The original Building A had been indistinguishable as the administrative wing, which is located at the point of entry for the Fort Pierce Campus. The two wings of the existing structure comprised some of the first buildings built on campus. FLA’s design “bridged” the original breezeway space between the buildings and modernized the structure by adding columns between the buildings that cantilever the structure in an X-Y configuration. The resulting 25,000-square-foot, 3-story facility unified two box-like forms into a complementary vernacular with other buildings on campus, conveying a signature stature and wayfinding image that point the way to the campus entry. The President’s new office, along with a suite of administrative offices and additional conference spaces, are strategically sited on the second floor directly above the building’s focal point atrium lobby with grand staircase. The third floor houses the board room with connecting board/work room and catering kitchen, as well as an additional gathering space with campus-wide views.