ikon.5 architects

Like a coral stone outcropping rising from the Floridian shoreline, the 74,000-square-foot L. Gale Lemerand student center at Daytona State College establishes an iconic presence to the campus along the main arterial road connecting the famed Daytona beachfront with the rest of Florida. The organically curving stone and bronze wall faces the road and embraces the visitor like two outreached arms forming a landscaped welcome lawn at the campus entry. Rising from the center of the gently curving wall is a bronze portal framing the opening to the student center and giving passage to the main quadrangle and campus beyond. Internally a three-story commons overlooks the quadrangle and serves as the campus living room. Dining, a coffee shop, gaming lounge, and group study rooms ring the student center commons. An amphitheater on the second and third floors cantilevers into the commons and looks out onto the campus quadrangle. The amphitheater provides a theatrical experience giving students the ability to see and be seen, thereby reinforcing a sense of community, and belonging. Other program components housed in the student center include a 500-person events center, student club and organization offices and workspace, classrooms, career services, the writing center and the College library. The educational and recreational programs enhance student life at Daytona State College and provide critical support services for transition to the work force. The center is designed as a high performance two Green Globe facility. Custom bronze perforated solar screens are veiled over large, glazed areas of the south and west facades to limit heat gain and glare while allowing views outward. Additionally, a ventilated bronze rain screen reduces heat gain in the harsh Florida sun. Other sustainable strategies include the use of pre- and post-consumer recycled materials, reclaimed rainwater, photo optic lighting, and high-efficiency heating ventilation and air conditioning systems.