By Kirsten Mahon/tr news editor
TR students fall in line with the vision of design, as the TRE Campus was voted one of the top 13 Texas buildings to see in 2013 by the Architizer Blog and the Texas Society of Architects.
“We aimed to create a vibrant environment for both learning and interaction by taking advantage of both the relationship to its urban context and the natural settings of the site,” said Amirali Javidan, TRE Campus design manager from Bing Thom Architecture. “The buildings are also oriented in ways to maximize views so that even from the interior, you are constantly inspired by the surrounding context.”
The design not only focused on internal interactions students would have with the campus but also external, encouraging students to connect to their surroundings beyond the classroom, Javidan said.
The design incorporates amphitheaters and grand stairways to allow a seamless connection to the city. Javdian said ideas for the campus were in light of promoting a gateway to the riverfront.
“The idea to create a downtown urban campus for TCCD was seen as a way to diversify the college’s campus spectrum and an overall urban strategy to revitalize the urban core,” Javidan said.
Students agree the building is a majestic focal point in the city.
“It’s gorgeous,” said TR student Miranda Mayeux. “I love how the mock hospital actually looks like a hospital from the outside. I work at JPS hospital in Fort Worth so I have some experience with hospital layouts.”
Part of the campus is blanketed beneath the embankment. Mayeux said this design shows how community colleges can carry the grand architecture of a large university even if they’re relatively small like TRE Campus. She said she loves this about the site.
“It is very different and unique especially for a college campus,” said TR student Tamara Kelly. “But it’s very nice, and the running water adds a very serene feeling to the air.”
Javidan said TCC’s passion for enhancing the community was a major inspiration for the design. Challenging sites often push the designers at Bing Thom Architecture to innovate ways to look at the project.
“It doesn’t look like a college,” said TR student Samuel Colunga. “It looks like Pixar — the architecture is just so unique.”
Kellee McMahon, a first-semester TRE student in the nursing program, said the only complaints nursing students have about the campus concern the lack of seating.
The facility has no cafeteria and not many spaces where students can sit to study or snack. If students wish to eat food on campus, they must order for delivery, or they have to go off campus or down the road to the main TR Campus to eat.
While McMahon enjoys the “amazing views,” she said the campus could be more accessible if it had more chairs and comfortable places to sit between classes.
Joseph Cameron, TRE divisional dean, said he loves his campus and the design fits the purpose of the students it serves.
“The outdoor environment offers a sense of tranquility that helps to reduce stress and promote wellness,” Cameron said. “Of course, the inside environment helps us create and maintain an unshakable focus on education.”
