Hawkeye Community College Grundy Hall Health Science Center

The Grundy Hall Health Science Center at Hawkeye Community College is a transformative project that meets the growing demand for health science professionals in eastern Iowa by providing an innovative, centralized learning environment. Its design consolidates previously fragmented classrooms and labs, providing an immersive, hands-on educational space that promotes multidisciplinary collaboration among health science students. The design for this renovation drew inspiration from carbon bonding. The carbon atom is the primary component in all organic matter and is the ‘glue of life.’ Carbon atoms can form single, double and triple bonds, sharing pairs of electrons and forming carbon rings. This project seeks to embrace the concept of carbon bonding to create an experiential learning facility that prepares students to serve their Eastern Iowa communities. The concept of carbon bonding has been represented within multiple materials throughout the facility, including hexagonal wood wall panels, a revealing pattern within the acoustical wall panels, and accent ceramic tile patterns. The existing structure of Grundy Hall was built into the side of a hill, disrupting the flow of student traffic across campus. With the renovation, a central corridor and a communicating stair connect the campus’ outer rim to its interior quad, promoting connectivity and accessibility. Sloped glazing infuses the space with natural, diffused light, establishing an active central hub that unifies the health science programs. The renovation of Grundy Hall demonstrates a commitment to sustainability, preserving the existing structure to reduce embodied carbon. By retaining the building’s superstructure and integrating high-efficiency systems, the design achieves significant environmental savings, equivalent to preventing 1,078,000 kg of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. This strategy reflects the college’s dedication to environmental stewardship and sets a new standard for sustainable development on campus. The programming requires high spatial efficiency within the existing footprint. The design team maximized this by incorporating social spaces along corridors and classrooms, using materiality to signal function, with concrete for movement areas and wood for comfort zones. Social spaces around a central stair feature lower wood-clad ceilings and acoustical felt, creating a welcoming, intimate atmosphere. Additional features include non-gendered restrooms designed for inclusivity and safety, developed in collaboration with code officials and students. This renovation modernizes educational facilities and reinforces Hawkeye Community College’s commitment to sustainability, inclusivity and enhanced student learning experiences.