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Renovation will transform '60s-style building

Tuesday, Aug 17, 2010
Kendall Litton Jensen

The colorful atrium outside building L will feature seating and skylights. (Rendering by HuntonBrady Architects)

Before: A look at the current L building, which opened in 1970.

Seminole State College of Florida is transforming the oldest classroom building on its Sanford/Lake Mary Campus into a sleek, energy-efficient structure that features the latest technology plus student lounges.

The 1960s-style, three-story concrete building L will undergo an extensive renovation and space reconfiguration that emphasizes natural lighting, including a glass curtain wall and a colorful atrium with skylights.

Work began Monday, Aug. 9, on the 93,000-square-foot building with the installation of construction fences around portions of the building and atrium. The fences will affect pedestrian traffic patterns as well as access to certain stairways and building entrances. Click here to download a map of the construction area.

Led by Orlando-based HuntonBrady Architects and construction group Wharton-Smith Inc., the project includes substantial interior and exterior work. The goal, according to HuntonBrady officials, is to create an "outstanding model of flexibility and sustainability" that provides a contemporary collegiate environment for students and faculty.

The building, which opened in 1970, will also have a number of sustainable design features — such as using reclaimed water for irrigation — that will help the facility secure Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The renovation is part of a $14.1 million project that also includes the remodeling of an adjacent office suite (building F). It will be executed in phases, starting with the third floor and atrium and working down. The first segment is expected to be completed by Fall 2011.

Classrooms and offices on the third floor of L building were vacated in January in anticipation of the work. The timing was possible because of the opening of the Partnership Center in January and the Center for Public Safety in October, which created 48 additional classrooms and labs on Seminole State's Sanford/Lake Mary Campus.

In addition to classrooms and offices, building L houses conference rooms and the College's Academic Success Center. Until this year, it was also the home of the campus library.

HuntonBrady also designed Seminole State's Heathrow and Altamonte Springs campuses, as well as its classroom building at the Geneva Center.

Wharton-Smith built the College's Center for Public Safety.