Community College of Beaver County

The Community College of Beaver County moved to its present site in the early 1970’s and had made few campus site upgrades since then. With the college’s fiftieth anniversary approaching, we were hired to transform the entire campus into a more welcoming place, creating a park-like setting that helps to inspire and nurture its students. Pashek+MTR’s design creates a collegiate feel with outdoor learning spaces, sustainable elements, and maintenance-friendly materials and planting.

Focusing on the student experience, the new design transforms a dreary student entrance area full of metal guard rails, broken curbs and mud into a formal landscaped plaza with a drop off area, new signage and a space for future artwork. Rain gardens flank either side of the student entrance and a colorful habitat planting area symbolizes a long lost stream that was piped and buried decades before. Interpretive signage speaks to the importance of streams and the role of stormwater.

A new family of exterior signage incorporates school colors and reflects the existing campus architecture, creating a more unified aesthetic. Pashek+MTR designed a main entrance sign, vehicular directional signs, campus map signs, and building identification signs.

A consistent pattern of low maintenance plantings also helps to unify the exterior environment with slight variations that reflect the unique identity of various places on campus. New outdoor spaces for students and staff are designed to reflect and enhance the existing character of the campus while providing a variety of outdoor learning and collegiate community opportunities.