Our Work › Education Design › Madison College Goodman South Campus

Education Design

Madison College Goodman South Campus in Madison Wisconsin. Technical Colleges (Community Colleges) are reflecting new ideas in higher education design

Location:
Madison, WI

Scope:
Provided master planning and architectural design services for a 76,100 sq. ft. building

External Team:

Miron Construction

Internal Team:

Awards:

Silver ASID WI Design Excellence Awards in the Higher Education Category

Madison College Goodman South Campus

Madison, WI

The new Goodman South Campus sprang to life from Madison College's desire to do more for the underserved of Madison. The College targeted an area of Dane County with low levels of education and income and engaged community members with interviews and public meetings to learn about their needs and thoughts on higher education. This engagement eventually contributed to the creation of the Goodman South Campus. This community input was instrumental in confirming the location of the facility and the programs offered, and the resulting interior spaces highlight the diversity of the surrounding community and tell the stories of the cultural groups in a variety of ways. Goodman South Campus was completely funded by private donors through an expansive fundraising effort, initiated to avoid the project creating a tax impact for those it sought to help.

The Goodman South Campus is a 76,100 sq. ft two-story skewed-L shaped building designed around the priorities codified in Madison College’s “Pillars of Promise.” Several of the pillars helped to define the plan:

Personal – affirmatively provide for the needs of each student

Opportunity – actively creating opportunities for collaboration

Membership – cultivate inclusion and respect for all

Environment – an environment that is secure, accessible, and comfortable for people of all cultures

The floorplan organizes around these ideals, grouping a café, library, gathering and collaboration areas, student services, general classrooms, and early childhood labs on the entry floor; science and computer labs on the lower level; and general classrooms, nursing labs, and staff offices on the second floor. Instructional areas feature technology, flexible furniture, room dividers, and nearby storage space to allow quick turnover from one instructor to another and help to move the institution away from the departmental “ownership” of individual spaces. South Campus includes numerous breakout areas throughout the building to encourage collaboration between students and instructors, and circulation areas are used to highlight the stories of the neighborhood with environmental graphics and technology to turn typically dull space into a building feature addressing membership and the environment.

The building program, required parking, and street access limited the options for site development, and other amenities were desired to enhance the neighborhood. These things all take up space. Above-ground bio-filters are coupled with underground bio-retention basins to accommodate stormwater while allowing a large outdoor pedestrian place, outdoor classroom area, and outdoor gathering spaces.

The Goodman South Campus has become a showcase building for the south side community and Madison College and illustrates the potential of higher education and public-private partnership.

Hear what others are saying! Read local news anticipating the coming campus, read one of the many construction updates, read news following the dedication of the campus, and also read student reaction to the new Goodman South Campus, and then learn what Madison College is currently offering at the Goodman South Campus.