Palo Alto College Resources and Academic Computing Center

For the architectural design of this significant addition to the Palo Alto Community College campus in San Antonio, Alamo Architects partnered with Ray Bailey and Associates, now Bailey Architects, of Houston, Texas. The combined design team used existing context as a springboard to create an energetic, future-looking vision for this important community college campus.

The center sits on an axis with a major traffic circle that serves the southern campus entrance. About midway between the core campus and the remote natatorium, the center anchors a new west campus nucleus to be developed in the future. Borrowing the rusticated masonry, stucco walls and metal roofs used on existing campus facilities puts the library on comfortable terms with its surroundings. Yet, carefully chosen contrasting elements, including glazed masonry for color and extensive use of glass to “open” the center visually and admit natural light, set it apart and emphasize its importance.

The plan is organized to make traditional stacks, reading, and study areas distinct from the contemporary, high tech research center.

Conventional spaces are more traditionally scaled, with seating near windows. The information concourse, the computer-focused portion, has high clerestories that admit natural light but minimize computer screen glare.

The Learning Resources Center accommodates 105,000 volumes, 500 periodicals/newspapers and seats 519. The Academic Computing Center includes five computer instruction classrooms for up to 24 students each and a lab with 114 computer stations.

Client> Alamo Community College District
Construction Cost> $7,100,000
Completion> September 1997

A joint venture with Bailey Architects, Houston.