A Bridge to the Future Greenville Technical College Center for Manufacturing Innovation
In a perfect world, to get from Point A to Point B,
If the old-school manufacturing
to equip its students with the
you’d be able to walk on a short,
industry of our grandfather’s era is
twenty-first century skills to
easy path in a straight line, and
Point A and modern manufacturing
succeed in the industry. GTC
you’d call it a day. Sometimes,
is Point B, the canyon separating
also knows that a well-trained
though, the process is less
the two used to be fairly daunting.
workforce is an attractive asset
straightforward; Point A is on a
The manufacturing industry has
to employers, and that better
rocky cliff, and Point B is on the
a historic image problem which
job opportunities create a better
other side of a vast canyon. In
made it challenging for companies
economic outlook for everyone.
that scenario, you could scramble
with good job offerings to recruit
down the cliff, traverse the canyon,
the next generation of skilled
In 2008, GTC launched an initiative
and begin a long, slow climb to the
workers.
in partnership with Clemson
top, or you could build a bridge.
University to develop a world-
The second option may take a
Manufacturing has changed a
class training facility for advanced
lot more work at the outset, and
great deal in the last fifty years.
manufacturing, one that would
require a lot of help, but it makes
The process of making things has
serve students, industry partners,
the pathway easier for everyone
become cleaner, more precise,
academic partnerships, and the
else who comes behind you.
more computerized, and more
rest of the region. They called
intricate, and requires a workforce
it the Center for Manufacturing
with the skills to handle evolving
Innovation, and they envisioned it
technologies. Greenville Technical
as a bridge to a brighter future.
College understands the advanced manufacturing curriculum required
GTC-CMI It started with a land purchase in the heart of Millennium Campus. Heavily wooded and bound by two streams, I-85, and Millennium Blvd., the site was beautiful, complicated, and full of promise. With 80’ of fall across the site and sloping in more than one direction, the site was adjacent to Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research Neighborhood I campus. It was also a stone’s throw from a newly opened STEM middle school for engineering and within viewing distance of the heavily traveled I-85. The President of GTC, Dr. Keith Miller, joined the College in 2008. President Miller’s vision was to build a new kind of academic facility, one that would put Greenville on the map as a desirable place for industries to relocate. Greenville Tech would be an instrumental part of training the workforce these industries would need to be successful as part of the Upstate’s economic development. For students, the program would bridge the gap between education and good-paying jobs. It was a win-win idea.
One of the first big steps in forging a new paradigm of advanced manufacturing was to dispel the negative perceptions of traditional manufacturing of the 1950s: that it was dirty, unhealthy, or menial labor with low wages. Today’s manufacturing is highly technical and clean, and the associated salaries afford families a higher quality of living. As the architects for CMI, the LS3P team was challenged to develop a building that represented the future of modern manufacturing. For the project to be successful, GTC wanted maximum visibility for the program, and the building needed to emphasize the modern manufacturing curriculum based on critical thinking and leading-edge technology. The space had to support not only education, but also research and entrepreneurship. From the first point of arrival, the image was to be a display of clean, lightfilled, high-tech spaces.
PROGRAM DIAGRAM
LABS
CLASSROOMS
COLLABORATION
ADMIN & INSTRUCTION
UPPER LEVEL
LOWER LEVEL As all projects do, the CMI came with a number of design opportunities, and the LS3P team members were eternal optimists. The design team embraced the challenges, including the demanding flexibility of the program, a conservative budget, and an intense construction schedule. A man-made fishing pond occupied a large area of the site, and the task of draining it was daunting and expensive. The steep topography provided challenges in terms of layout and solar orientation. The adjacent stream meant that complex storm water issues had to be addressed onsite. Furthermore, all site challenges aside, the relatively new building typology raised a very important question: given the speed with which the manufacturing industry is changing, what sort of facility would accommodate today’s technologies, while providing for the as-yet-unforeseen technologies of tomorrow? Perhaps the most important design opportunity for the CMI was to create a uniquely human space for people who work with complex machinery. Many of GTC’s students work fullor part-time jobs in addition to being in school; they spend long hours indoors interfacing with computers and complex machinery in industrial spaces. How could the CMI best serve these students and give them spaces to collaborate, recharge, and connect with the site’s beautiful natural surroundings?
Much like the manufacturing process, the process
Parking terraces on the downhill side of the site are
of design involves assembling and calibrating a
separated by bands of bioswales which filter and
number of diverse components. How, then, did all the
treat rainwater flowing from the parking areas before
disparate parts of the CMI come together? Between
being released back into the natural water system.
the spark of invention and the finished product,
The terraced parking also allowed the design team to
LS3P’s Chuck Hultstrand, Cindy Benjamin, and Liz
create an external monumental stair which elegantly
Corr listened closely to the client, created numerous
draws pedestrians toward the main entry of the
iterations, fine-tuned the concept, and brought in
building, a successful design intervention for a tricky
expertise from multiple disciplines to build the most
site condition. For this particular site, the engineers
efficient design. The ultimate solution was driven by
also recommended an unusual move: sloping the
a number of interrelated elements:
roof to the uphill side of the site. This strategy
Site hydraulics played a greater-than-usual role in this
brings rainwater down the east façade into a long
The site drove the form.
French drain to a drainage field which allows for
particular project, largely due to the curvaceous site,
water treatment before releasing it downhill towards
desired visibility from the roads, and the removal of
the stream.
the existing fishing pond. The decision to restore the spring-fed stream and remove the dam involved pond
To work with the contours of the site, the building’s
de-watering, stream restoration, and a new entry
footprint took the form of two linear boxes that
drive. The decision to plan for its removal was made
intersect at a hinge point and are rotated to fit the
early on in design, and the implementation began
topography of the slope. The site terraces downward
during construction once donor funding was secured.
towards I-85, and the layout aligns all active spaces
This decision allowed GTC to gain a significant
along this side of the structure for maximum visibility.
buildable footprint for future expansion, and it yielded
Particularly in the evening hours when the interior
a prominent entry off of a roundabout on
lights are on, students animate the classrooms and
Millennium Boulevard.
learning is on display.
Because the building serves as a metaphor for modern manufacturing, the form reads as a series of integrated but distinct parts. The exterior wing walls are extruded and the structure is exposed. An internal monumental stair at the hinge point anchors the building. Though the solar orientation was not ideal, flanges on the west façade block unwanted glare while south openings on the flanges bring light in at a more desirable angle.
The vision drove the architectural expression. One glance at the CMI tells students and visitors that this is “not your grandfather’s workplace.” As the first building on the campus, the building needed to establish an architectural language, and the clean lines of International Style Modernism were a perfect fit with GTC’s goal to “create a visual icon of modern manufacturing as an economic driver.” Sleek metal panels combined with abundant natural light and bright, open interior spaces provide a timeless aesthetic and establish the brand image for the new campus on a highly visible site.
The center offers more than just training. It provides what you will see in the workplace – the newest state-of-the-art technology.” DAVID CLAYTON, Director of CMI, Greenville Technical College
The program required flexible teaching spaces to
Transparency was also a critical design element.
support real-world innovation and collaboration.
Wherever possible, expansive glass walls celebrate
These spaces also serve as demonstration spaces to
the view into the building from the exterior, and the
teach cutting-edge manufacturing and technology.
views into the manufacturing spaces on the interior.
Finishes are industrial and modern. Polished concrete
A gentle ramp leading down from the elevated entry
and exposed structure, combined with brightly-
vestibule processes past inviting windows into the
colored accents for wayfinding, reflect the types of
high-bay manufacturing space. It’s an irresistible
spaces that students will experience in the workforce.
draw; people entering the space invariably stop and investigate what’s happening in the space below, exactly as the design team intended.
The curriculum drove the learning environment. Building upon the metaphor of a bridge, the interior
A visit to CMI might well be the first exposure young
layout was tailored to the unusual requirements of
people have to manufacturing as a viable and
the advanced manufacturing curriculum. Greenville
attractive career path. Because Greenville Tech’s goal
Tech wanted a teaching environment that had similar
is to educate a pipeline of highly trained students
qualities that their students will find in industry. Unlike
to equip a qualified workforce, the college wanted
a typical classroom building, the CMI needed high-
the reality of what modern manufacturing looks
bay industrial space to house highly specialized
like to greet you at the door. Visitors cross a literal
equipment such as CNC routers, EDM, multiple axis
and metaphorical bridge to reach the entry, and
lathes, mills, and rapid prototype equipment for 3-D
the curriculum is on full display from the front door.
printing. Specialized labs include mechatronics,
High-bay labs are visible from the entry lobby so that
manufacturing pilot line/integration, innovation labs,
people can view firsthand the variety and complexity
and research space. A showroom provides a space
of the machinery. For maximum visibility, the high-bay
to highlight student work and emerging technologies.
manufacturing space features two interior balconies so that visitors can step out into the labs and experience the learning in process from an elevated vantage point.
Our Center for Manufacturing Innovation represents a game-changing approach to education. We will close the skills gap by creating the skills needed for new employees and improving the skills of the current workforce. And we will fully integrate education from the K-12 system to the two-year college to the four-year university level, working together to better meet the needs of manufacturers in order to advance our economy.” KEITH MILLER, President of Greenville Technical College
In addition to recruiting the next generation workforce, CMI also offers prototyping space for industry partners and incubator space for start-ups. Support space includes offices, conference and breakout rooms, classrooms, and a boardroom and multipurpose room. CMI not only teaches credit-hour course work, but also offers continuing education for partnering industries such as GE.
The Center for Manufacturing Innovation is another great example of the partnership between Clemson and Greenville Tech. This center has the potential to transform manufacturing education in the Upstate, which will make a huge difference that will eventually be felt across South Carolina.” JAMES P. CLEMENTS, President of Clemson University
The complexities of the program and the highly specialized equipment necessitated some unique program spaces, such as the humidity-controlled metrology lab dedicated to the study of measurement. The extremely sensitive and finely-calibrated CMM machine required a 4’ thick concrete slab, isolated on all sides, in the center of the building and as far away from any exterior walls as possible to avoid impacts from any vibrations from traffic or other disturbances. The substantial equipment housed in the high-bay space required a 6” thick slab throughout and a dedicated loading dock for unloading and installation; this loading dock had to be sized to accommodate up to three 18-wheelers at a time. The three largest pieces of equipment weigh 33,000 lbs, 55,000 lbs, and 80,000 lbs each. The steep slope of the site made this particular requirement challenging, but the loading dock ended up at the flattest part of the natural site with enough room for truck turnaround.
Humans drove the design. Though much of the program revolves around the needs of the technology, the designers never forgot that CMI was created for the people who would inhabit it. Manufacturing, after all, is a tool in service to humanity. It allows us to make things better, faster, more durable, more affordable, and more accessible for the people who will use the end products. The anchor of the building, the monumental stair at the hinge point, therefore offers a very human-centered space with floor-to-ceiling views and a connection to nature. Part staircase and part auditorium, this space brings in a softer, less industrial aesthetic with a palette of warm wood for warmth and texture. This central lobby serves as a stopping point for people to gather, and College plans to utilize this space for bringing the community together to bridge workforce training and economic growth, and for celebrating impromptu events, receptions, or informal lectures. Students can use this anchor point to gather, step out of the lab, and decompress. Visiting school groups also use this stair as a “show-me” space, where integrated technology such as the built-in projector converts the stair into a teaching space. It’s a space for collaboration, connection, and reflection- a space for people.
CMI drives the region forward. With the 106,000 SF building complete and fall
The bridge metaphor unites the design. In some
programs underway, the future for the GTC-CMI
places, such as at the main entry at the top of the
looks bright. The building is already reforming the
monumental stairs from the parking lot, the bridge
image of old-school traditional manufacturing to
is literal. Metaphorically, the bridge represents the
today’s modern, clean, critical-thinking-driven
transition from being a student to being a hired
manufacturing. CMI is ready to adapt to future
employee with a good-paying job with opportunities
expansions or changes in technology with a site
for advancement. It represents the bridge from the
layout that will accommodate another building and
first year of school to the advanced programs of
manufacturing spaces designed for easy upgrades
the second and third years, and the bridge between
to equipment. Flexible power systems, including
academia and industry partners. It represents the
overhead bus bars for easy rearrangement of
bridge from traditional manufacturing to 21st Century
machinery and wheeled demonstration centers,
manufacturing, and the bridge from the past to the
ensure that the space can evolve with the curriculum.
future. It represents the bridge from a struggling
The new building anticipates a long life as well, and
economy to a thriving industry which can bolster a
its design has already achieved Two Globes under
region- and it’s a bridge hundreds of students cross
the Green Globes rating system for sustainable
every day.
strategies such as low VOC materials, high efficiency HVAC systems, high performance glass, and LED lighting with individual controls.
.COM/HigherEducation