College of Western Idaho, Agricultural Sciences Complex
College of Western Idaho’s Agricultural Sciences Complex is a 40-acre site dedicated to education and training in horticulture, landscape design, floral science, and animal science. Located on CWI’s Nampa Campus, the site comprises an animal science barn, a horticulture greenhouse, a shop, a student-designed arboretum, and the Simplot Agriculture Building, which houses classrooms, labs, and student areas.
The design-build team of ESI and Cushing Terrell partnered with The Land Group (civil engineering and landscape architecture), and Axiom (structural engineering) to develop the site for all indoor and outdoor needs of the agriculture and horticulture programs.
North of the main campus and separated by a canal, the Agricultural Sciences Complex site was previously used for agriculture, thus it was a perfect fit to house the different facilities and grounds the students and staff would need for learning and training.
A tight timeline influenced the design, thus the team utilized solutions that included pre-engineered structures, which meant the buildings could be set up quickly, while ensuring high-quality environments. Buildings were also designed to accommodate versatility. For example, the team incorporated features that connect indoor and outdoor areas, such as glass overhead doors that open to transform the utility of the classrooms. Additionally, moveable partition walls between classrooms make it so the rooms can be adjusted depending on event and capacity needs.
To accommodate versatility, the design team incorporated features such as glass overhead doors that open to the outdoors and moveable partition walls between classrooms so they can be adjusted depending on use and capacity needs.
The site is part working farm, part classroom, and part food incubator — and we tried to smooth any transitions inherent to these related functions. We wanted to ensure a clear feedback loop between instruction, research, practice, and partnering with industry. There’s a public-facing farm store where students can sell products they produce and host farm-to-table events. It takes the curriculum out of the classroom and into the market, without leaving campus.
Charlie Deese
Education Design Director
Cushing Terrell
Furthermore, the transition from outside to inside was also considered with shower rooms for students and storage for work boots and other outside-only tools before entering classrooms and/or sanitary food processing areas.
The Simplot Agriculture Building is actually two academic buildings connected by a canopy roof structure that creates an outdoor seating space. The entrance of the building emulates garden walls that serve as a gateway to the agricultural experience. The entrance not only helps funnel people into the two buildings but also creates a natural flow to the outside worksites.
The building is dually proposed: On one hand, it meets the needs of students and staff with classrooms, labs, workstations, and flex spaces, and on the other, it was designed to welcome the public with the flexibility to hold events and seminars.
LOCATION
Nampa, ID