CSN Charleston Campus

CSN Charleston Campus

College of Southern Nevada Library / Classroom Building

The CCSN Library / Classroom project is a new educational facility located on the West Charleston Campus for the Community College of Southern Nevada system. The intent of the facility is to provide a new and updated library space, accessory library support functions, educational classrooms, and administrative offices. The building design is intended to create an icon building along a main arterial access road to welcome visiting students and guests to the heart of the campus.

The facilities programmed spaces for the 24,000 sq.ft. library include an information commons for book and periodical searches, circulation and reference desk and work support rooms, document areas for special requests and micrographics viewing, student study rooms, library administrative offices, and general seating areas dispersed within 13,000 sq.ft. of periodical and general stack areas. Other programmed spaces for the new building include a coffee shop with interior and exterior seating, a 100 seat lecture room, 2 classrooms dedicated to computer applications instruction, 25 general classrooms with full digital and data connectivity, and office space for the dean's administrative staff totalling an additional 41,000 sq.ft. Including additional required space for circulation, general seating adjacent to the classrooms, restrooms, and mechanical / electrical spaces, the design incorporates all of these elements into a 78,000 sq.ft. 3-story building, that is highlighted by a two-story interior library space with full height glass curtain wall system facing to the north, as the central axis to a nearly symmetrical floor plan design. The exterior finishes for the design will include an exterior insulation and finish system (E.I.F.S.) and sandstone veneers following suit with the standard color palette for the West Charleston Campus.

Other considerations for the project follow the recommendations for LEED sensitive design throughout the architectural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing aspects of the design. The library mechanical HVAC system is designed to bring tempered air down to the floor level, where occupants most need tempered air, and circulated up to a return system at the ceiling. This type of HVAC design offers better ambient air temperatures which offer increased comfort for all occupants and is a more efficient method of heating and cooling a large and open space as is designed. The building design will definitely be a showcase piece for the campus to display while offering a functional educational facility.