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鈥檚 campus in Claremont, Calif., is gaining its first new building in nearly two decades.

The 80,000-square-foot teaching and learning center, designed by , will hold state-of-the-art classrooms, faculty offices, a 300-person auditorium and a 150-person recital hall. Amy Donohue, a Boora principal, said Harvey Mudd students will no longer have to use certain facilities at other colleges in the Claremont University Consortium.

鈥淭he world is moving more toward active learning engagement spaces for students; there will be flexibility in the new classrooms that the old classrooms couldn鈥檛 accommodate,鈥� Donohue said. 鈥淪tudents will be in lecture mode, but will also be able to go over to the whiteboards to write equations, or go upstairs to perform musical recitals instead of going next door.鈥�

The four-story structure will surround a central courtyard that will help provide lighting for the classrooms and offices, which will have glass walls on two sides. Donohue said Boora wanted to make sure every room in the building, aside from those on the basement floor, had access to natural lighting.

鈥淭his building could dramatically improve on energy savings,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n the other buildings, there鈥檚 no daylight, no ventilation and they鈥檙e all underground. We wanted to bring classrooms back up into the light.鈥�

Other sustainable features, such as BubbleDeck 鈥� a building material more efficient than concrete 鈥� will help reduce the center鈥檚 carbon footprint. Donohue said the firm hopes the center will receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum rating.

Although the center will improve upon the functionality of existing campus structures, Donohue said it will imitate their appearance. The metal shingles on the center鈥檚 exterior will match the look and coloring of the buildings, which were designed by famed architect Edward Durell Stone.

鈥淭he language of the campus has been very consistent since back when the college started in the 鈥�50s,鈥� Donohue said. 鈥淲e wanted to retain some connection to that historic language moving forward, but still very much be about progress and change.鈥�

Donohue added that Harvey Mudd engineering students contributed to the center鈥檚 design by researching practical green methods and giving feedback on what sort of designs would appeal to students.

鈥淥n the Boards鈥� is a weekly feature that spotlights local firms鈥� best design work. Submissions from architectural and engineering firms are encouraged. Please call 503-802-7240 or email [email protected].