Delaware County Community College to Build Science Complex

Delaware County Community College is about to embark on a science-and-engineering project. (Burt Hill rendering)

Delaware County Community College, in Pennsylvania, will break ground this month on a $50-million Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Complex, which will pair an attractive, angular, multipurpose building with a simpler, smaller prefabricated structure intended for technical programs. The 132,000-square-foot complex, designed by the architecture firm Burt Hill, continues a recent string of high-profile building projects at community colleges.

The larger building will be constructed adjacent to the existing academic building on the main campus, in Media, Pa. In addition to laboratory and classroom space, the new structure will house some facilities for the entire college, including a fitness center, an aerobics studio, a computer center, a lecture hall, and a cafe. The building, which will have an 11,000-square-foot green roof, is designed to achieve a silver rating from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

The smaller building, which will be much plainer, is intended to give the college flexibility to accommodate the needs of technical programs that train students for industry and business.