West Michigan Lighting

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Kalamazoo Valley Community College Center for New Media

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Supplier

Story

A couple years ago, the W.S. Dewing Building would have seemed an unlikely choice to house high-tech studies. The 1920s building in downtown Kalamazoo had deteriorated over the years, and the interior was dark and unappealing.

Today, the facility has been transformed into Kalamazoo Valley Community College's (KVCC) Center for New Media, a vibrant, light-filled space equipped with the latest technology and designed to foster students' creativity. CSM Group served as construction manager for the $5.8 million renovation and addition project.

Architectural firm Eckert Wordell designed a plan calling for new openings that conformed to the style of the existing windows. A 9,000-square-foot addition would match the existing limestone facade, seamlessly integrating with the original building and bringing the total space to 47,000 square feet.

The Center for New Media features 11 classrooms and computer labs, offices and conference rooms, and two multimedia galleries. Nearly 400 students a semester now take classes there in subjects like animation, photography, e-commerce, programming, and multimedia design and development.

Facts

  • Title: Kalamazoo valley community college center for new media
  • Location: Kalamazoo, michigan
  • Postal code: 49007
  • Phase: Complete
  • Budget: $5,800,000
  • Size: 9000.0