Oakland Community College, with locations in Royal Oak, Southfield, Auburn Hills, Waterford Township, and Farmington Hills, announced the opening of its new Science and Computer Science building at the college’s Auburn Hills campus.
“This new building provides students with an opportunity to develop advanced level, hands-on, critical thinking skills in science and computer technology,” says Peter Provenzano Jr., chancellor of OCC. “These skills provide tremendous opportunities for students looking to transition quickly into an in-demand career or plan to transfer and obtain an advanced degree.”
The building features state-of-the-art science labs, computer science labs, flexible classrooms, and collaborative spaces for students. It consists of 54,000 newly added square footage and 27,000 renovated square footage — 81,000 square feet in total — filled with 15 classrooms, 8 science and computer labs, and 17 collaborative spaces.
The building unofficially opened at the start of the fall 2021 semester as students returned to in-person learning and great demand for space on campus. It officially opened on Dec. 2 at a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating its completion.
Provenzano stated the new building and renovation is the first in a series of changes the community will see as the college builds for the future. It is the first new building constructed on OCC’s campuses since 2010.
The ribbon-cutting event featured remarks by Provenzano; Pamela Jackson, OCC Board of Trustees chair; keynote speaker Quentin Messer Jr., CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp.; Douglas Maibach, chairman at Barton Malow Enterprises; and Leah Aggison, associate dean of math and science at OCC.
OCC broke ground for the new building in December of 2019 and construction took more than 141,000 hours to complete. The project team included: Barton Malow as the general contractor, Integrated Design Solutions as the architects, Anderson, Eckstein & Westrick as the civil engineer, Desai/Nasr Consulting Engineers as the structural engineer, and Grissim Metz Andriese Associates as the landscape architect.
“The importance of Science and Technology and the importance of being up-to-date and current is what prioritized this building,” says Jennifer Berne, provost at OCC. “This is a centerpiece of our Auburn Hills campus, and we want to make sure that students feel that way.”
For more information on the building, visit here.
