Three design consultants unveiled what Austin Community College's newest campus in Leander could look like when it opens in summer 2018. Construction of the new campus is set to begin in the fall.
Consultants with Pfluger Architects and Smithgroup JJR presented the design for ACC's San Gabriel campus during a joint Leander City Council and planning and zoning meeting Thursday.
The campus, which will sit on 100 acres between Toll 183A and Mel Mathis Avenue, within Leander's Transit Oriented Development District, is funded by 2014 voter-approved bonds totaling $60 million.
The design representatives said they used inspiration from the land in Leander, such as Brushy Creek and the railroad as well as the local ranching culture. The building will include limestone or limestone-like masonry, wood and stone on the facade.
ACC consultants said the stair tower at the northeast corner of the building would serve as a beacon to the campus[/caption]
The first phase of ACC San Gabriel will include a 110,000-square-foot academic building with an initial enrollment capacity of 2,500 students. When it is fully built, the campus will serve 12,000 students in approximately 1 million square-feet of space.
At full build out, the campus is planned to serve around 12,000 students.[/caption]
The future campus will include classrooms and science labs, as well as an ACCelerator, or a learning lab for services such as academic coaching, continuing education, tutoring, workshops and assessments. The first phase of the campus will include the main building, a civic square and a paseo, or walkway.
Phase 1 of the design will include an academic building, civic square, paseo and parking.[/caption]
The representatives said they aimed for the campus to have an urban design that is anchored by a civic square in the center.
The civic square would sit in the heart of the campus.[/caption]
The paseo would run along the east side of the academic building and serve as a connector to the civic square.
The paseo would connect the campus to the civic square.[/caption]
A series of cisterns and rain gardens would help with water conservation, and solar harvesting on the rooftop would generate electricity and hot water, according to city documents.
The consultants said the design of the building would reflect Leander's agricultural landscape.[/caption]
Leander staffers said the consultants would submit official draws of the building in October.