The striking architecture dramatically punctuates the Napier campus, and the airy, light-filled interior makes you want to innovate in your own free-spirit way. The magnificent addition of teh Hanson Technology Center on the Lake Michigan College Benton Harbor campus has earned a major design award.
The Hanson Technology Center has been awarded the Collegiate Citation, the top higher-education honor, in the 2019 American School & University Educational Interiors Showcase. As part of the award, Lake Michigan College and The Hanson Technology Center are featured as the cover and inside the August edition of American School & University magazine.
LMC President Dr. Trevor Kubatzke says, “The Hanson Technology Center at Lake Michigan College was built to define the future of advanced manufacturing education and skilled-trades training,” and adds, “That idea includes not only how a space functions but also how it inspires. We already see the impact it has had in our community, and hope this recognition may inspire others as well.”
Designed by Progressive AE of Grand Rapids, the Hanson Technology Center was completed in 2016. The 49,376-square-foot building was created to lead the way in advanced manufacturing education and skilled-trades training. It is home to a host of courses including fabrication, welding, electronics, and machine tool, and houses one of the few large-scale interactive Fabrication Labs in the country.
Educational Interiors Showcase praised The Hanson Technology Center for its “clean lines, good use of color, functionality, good use of natural lighting, and a few bold spaces.”
2019 Judges Kyle Gorrell, Irene Monis, Stuart Pettitt, and David A. Sanders said in their jury statement, “This project shows what a modern machine shop can look like,” and add, “The open daylighted individual learning spaces are the heart of this building and definitely put students first.”
The Center was named for Merlin and Carolyn Hanson, major donors for the project.
For the complete list of 2019 winners and designs selected for publication, you can visit online at: https://schooldesigns.com.
For more information on Hanson Technology Center programs, click the link below:
