Education
LE-JAO CENTER COASTLINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
CO Architects
Westminster, California
This project is one of two distinct but closely integrated civic/educational buildings designed for the diverse, multicultural community of Westminster in Southern California: the Learning Center, a community college, and the Rose Cultural Center, a performing arts venue. Together, the two buildings create a 600-foot long plaza fronting the public street. The plaza is a continuous sequence of exterior building courtyards, terraces and walkways facilitating a variety of outdoor functions.
The Learning Center interior courtyard, the 2nd level external circulation walkways and the monumental "Spanish Steps" extend the instructional spaces from the classroom to the outdoors and frame a variety of spaces for learning and social interaction. Paving, seating, a fountain and planting derive from the architectural geometry and material. These elements are designed within an interrelated horizontal and vertical modular vocabulary based on the building.