Sometime next year, Portage Will have a new Higher Learning Facility on Central Avenue.
Outside the Building
The selected an architectural style which addresses the main points of (1) interacting with people walking and driving down the street , (2) dividing the building into two level or floors, using quality building materials. The “Chicago Style”, developed in the early 1900, was used for these very reasons to create a “Downtown and Campus” type atmospheres. The entrance is all glass windows and doors with glass above. With it being all glass at street level, people will know where to enter the building. The “Chicago Style” was able to make the lower level glass by using structural steel to support the upper portion of the building. The Building does that as well with a masonry skin applied to the outside of the structure. With glazing not being able to be used to define the lower level of this building, different colored materials are used. The roof area is changed over the entry to help define entry and again to match the “Chicago Style”. The primary exterior building materials for this building are masonry and glazing.
Inside the Building
The proposed building is two stories high, 31,548 square feet. It contains 12 classrooms, 8 offices, receptionist areas on each floor and separate 5,600 square foot space for WorkOne. All of the other spaces i.e.: two story entrance with architectural feature, elevator, storage, custodial, lounges, storage rooms and so on, have been provided. The bathrooms for this building are centrally located for easy access for all parties, stacked over each other for high efficiency, and are not in direct contact with any classrooms. The classrooms are designed to meet flexibility needs of the tenants with 2 first floor rooms containing retracting dividing walls and dry lab room, computer lab, distance learning room and classrooms on the second floor. The classrooms have been designed for 30 students unless specified for more or less. A Smartroom has been provided on each floor. Each student has 22 square feet work space within the classroom. Additional square footage has been provided for circulation. The class and seminar room's proportions have been designed to meet acceptable eye contact and sight line levels.
Additionally, an entrance/reception space will allow over 70 people to gather with additional gather space on the second floor as well. This space has built-in/integral landscaping planters to match the exterior dune effect, and built-in seating for students and other people to use. The main entrances are highlighted by, besides the all glass feature, stone pilasters and exterior wall scones.
Site & Landscaping
The overall site design is reminiscent of traditional downtown commercial and institutional facilities while providing for modern necessities (such as parking and ADA accessibility). The main facade of the building addresses Central Avenue serving as a start to a street wall. Contrary to surrounding developments and recent suburban site design, the parking is located to the rear of the building and accessed from an alley.
All site landscaping will be indigenous to Northwest Indiana and provide a view into the natural dunescape of Lake Michigan. The landscape areas also will serve to provide water quality features to the site as the natural plantings filter storm runoff prior to it, entering the storm water system or the groundwater.