Tri Star Career Compact
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Project Case Study
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ARCHITECTURE | INTERIORS | ENGINEERING
A Smarter Approach to Career Technical Education The new Tri Star Career Compact unites nine school districts in one dynamic facility. The programs held in this state-of-the-art building will strengthen the local economy by training a new skilled workforce to meet the needs in Mercer County and Auglaize County, Ohio.
PROGRAMS OFFERED:
• Med Prep • Health Info Tech • Early Childhood • Interactive Media • Graphics
In addition to providing high school students with the opportunity to develop technical skills, Tri Star Career Compact also provides space for adult education programs and training facilities for local companies and organizations.
• Hospitality/Tourism
Thanks to the collaborative nature of the planning and design process, Tri Star received $2 million in donations from local companies without sending out a single fundraising letter.
• Network Systems
• Rec Tech • Precision Machining • Welding • Construction • Engineering Tech
• Vet Tech • Ag Mechanics • Auto Tech
$22.5
101,177 2019
million in construction costs
new square feet
completion date
420
$2.0
9
student capacity
million raised without a single fundraising letter
school districts utilizing one state-of-the-art career tech facility
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T R I S TA R C A R E E R C O M PAC T
A Unifying Brand for a New Campus
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ARCHITECTURE | INTERIORS | ENGINEERING
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For more than 30 years, Tri Star programs were held in multiple facilities across two counties. The consolidated new campus needed a design that would create a bold identity and brand for Tri Star Career Compact. The exterior design engages visitors along two main focal points: the west-facing red metal panel exterior and the south-facing glass, metal and CMU storefront. Visitors driving east on State Route 703 are greeted by the dramatic red metal panel frame with floor-to-ceiling windows. This highlyvisible exterior element makes Tri Star instantly recognizable and guides people into campus. The south-facing view includes 20-foot-tall windows that directly face the highway. At night, the windows provide residents with glimpses into Tri Star’s main commons and its signature robotics program.
D E S I G N G OA L S • Create a distinctive, modern look for the new Tri Star campus • Engage visitors traveling east along State Route 703 with dramatic views • Create exterior views providing a glimpse of the exciting programs happening in Tri Star
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The new Tri Star brand continues its expression on the interior, where dramatic wall graphics express what it means to be a Tri Star student. Fanning Howey’s designers collaborated with a local experience design firm to develop and execute the concepts.
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ARCHITECTURE | INTERIORS | ENGINEERING
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Business-Driven Learning Environments
To develop optimal career pathways, Tri Star officials and Fanning Howey design team members engaged local business leaders throughout the project. A broadreaching planning process included input from a Business Advisory Committee, tours of workforce training facilities, including Honda’s North American Training Center in Marysville, Ohio, and design input from business owners for highly-technical spaces such as the welding lab and precision machining lab.
B U S I N E S S I N VO LV E M E N T I N T H E DESIGN PROCESS • Business Advisory Committee overseeing the project • Tours of business training centers provided design inspiration • Business sub-committees provided design feedback for highly-technical spaces
FIXED, FLEXIBLE AND FUTURE-READY Thanks to business input, Tri Star is designed as two wings: one with fixed equipment and one with flexible furniture. Core programs that are unlikely to change, including Nursing and Welding, have fixed equipment and less flexible infrastructure. Programs that may change in the future, including Accounting, have flexible furniture and less fixed equipment. This allows Tri Star’s programs to evolve over time and to meet the changing needs of local business owners. For some of the building’s highly-technical labs, Fanning Howey designers worked closely with local business owners. Business professionals provided feedback on everything from space layout to building infrastructure to the amount of equipment needed.
BUILDING LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIPS The collaborative nature of the design process allowed Tri Star to deepen relationships with local businesses. Many business owners who provided input on the design later turned into donors for the new building. In all, local businesses gave $2,000,000 in donations, all without receiving a single fundraising letter!
A B OV E | The design of Tri Star puts learning on display. Color-coded building systems and glazing along the corridor help students learn about their own building.
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Tri Star’s signature program is Rec Tech, a class where students earn their certification in programming industrial robots. The Rec Tech lab is connected to a project classroom, allowing students to quickly move from learning to application. The lab’s flexible overhead grid is inspired by the Honda North American Training Center.
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Design of the welding lab at Tri Star provides students with 25 welding bays, a cuttingedge exhaust system, and adjacent classroom for instruction and large overhead garage doors to easily move equipment in and out of the space. The design process included heavy involvement by a local welding company.
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The Nursing Lab includes areas for instruction, hands-on simulation and lab work.
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The Agricultural Lab provides cuttingedge tools for farm equipment and vehicular maintenance.
Overhead power and extensive natural lighting create an optimal fhai.com 15 Construction Lab environment.
T R I S TA R C A R E E R C O M PAC T
Designed for Recruitment and Community
Tri Star’s goal is to become the first choice for education in Mercer County and Auglaize County, Ohio. As a result, the building’s design is heavily focused on recruitment.
“We are already seeing an increase in enrollment, even though the facility is just getting started.” – T I M B U S C H U R , D I R E C TO R
Fanning Howey’s design team created a central commons that is a show stopper. The two-story space provides views to the Rec Tech robotics labs, Tri Star’s signature program, and is used for student presentations, collaborative learning, dining and career fairs. Like all parts of Tri Star, the commons also serves local businesses and community groups. Wright State’s Lake Campus, located across the street, is already using Tri Star facilities for certain programs, and local businesses are taking advantage of adult training classes for their employees.
A B OV E | A glass-enclosed collaboration space on the second floor provides a VIP-level view of the central commons. 16
ARCHITECTURE | INTERIORS | ENGINEERING
Tri Star Career Compact Celina, OH
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T R I S TA R C A R E E R C O M PAC T
A B OV E | Tri Star’s central commons is a dramatic, open space for presentations, dining, collaboration, training and community events.
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ARCHITECTURE | INTERIORS | ENGINEERING
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350 East New York St Suite 300 Indianapolis, IN 46204 317.848.0966 fhai.com