Group Goetz Architects (GGA) was retained by Montgomery College to completely renovate and modernize an old speculative office building they recently purchased. The 70,000 SF two-story building was divided in two by a two-story entry atrium. The concept was to provide new classroom and office functions for the College on the first floor and lease out the second floor to the Montgomery County Economic Development for new incubator labs.The building needed new building systems, fire and life safety upgrades, and new exiting and egress to comply with updated codes and regulations. In addition new interior finishes to the lobby were provided to create a quality and sustainable environment for the College.The two facilities shared the central hall space that occupies the center portion of the building from exterior wall to exterior wall. The hall also serves as the main organizing element for the distribution of the various elements of the program. Shared space included the main lobby, vending and break areas, and conference facilities. The atrium space provided a generous space for students to congregate and meet and provided vending and informal seating.The College provided classrooms using a modular strategy along with faculty offices and other administrative functions. On the classroom level, a similar modular strategy is employed in dealing with the repetitive nature of faculty offices and classrooms.The building included numerous sustainable concepts including energy efficient building systems and controls, efficient lighting and lighting controls, recycled content in interior finishes and building materials, sustainable demolition procedures, low water plumbing fixtures, low or no VOC in all building materials, and use of local building materials.
