Architecture, interior design, and engineering services to create a campus destination that feeds student needs

West Chester University - The Sciences and Engineering Center & The Commons

West Chester University (WCU) wanted to update a part of their campus that was previously defined by parking lots, under-utilized buildings, and a decommissioned coal-burning boiler plant. While originally planning a dining hall for this space, WCU soon saw the potential to shape student life, promote academic collaboration, and reclaim the landscape with a new multidisciplinary building. They needed an architectural partner they could trust—that’s where our team came in.

The Sciences & Engineering Center and The Commons (SECC) is a story of collaboration between architects, engineers, designers, the university, faculty, and most importantly, the students. In addition to specialized and general classrooms and labs, we designed the SECC to house a replacement board dining facility with visible front-cooking and multiple large and small collaboration spaces including a learning stair with a large format multi-media experience. A green roof helps with overall stormwater management, while removal of a decommissioned boiler plant gives way to a vibrant landscape with pedestrian pathways.

Today, SECC provides a living-learning environment for the next generation of scientists, physicians, nutritionists, and other critical-demand positions. It brings the once disparate nursing, health science, and physics programs together under one roof while adding a new biomedical engineering program. From academics to dining, this building creates a space for synergy, socializing, and sharing ideas for new discoveries.