Gateway Technical College—Burlington Campus

Burlington, Wisconsin

Firm

Plunkett Raysich Architects, LLP

Client

Gateway Technical College

Area

33,403 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$3,152,370

Completion Date

08/2005

Gateway Technical College—Burlington Campus is a tenant of the Burlington Area School District and shares space on the Burlington High School campus.
After experiencing continued growth for many years, the existing 12,000-square-foot college no longer was adequate to serve its growing needs. The decision was made to build a standalone 33,000-square-foot building consisting of administrative and student support areas, as well as state-of-the-art classrooms and labs to support the nursing, EMS and radiography programs.
A major challenge was to create a highly visible building in form and material, while still blending with the more rigid geometry of the existing high school. This was achieved by reinterpreting the existing palette of materials and forms, and providing the dynamic, forward-looking aesthetic the college wanted in a cost-effective way.
From the curved glass enclosure of the student commons to the tall, curved wall that lifts the Gateway sign to the level of the surrounding roadways, the building expresses Gateway’s unique approach to community-based, post-secondary education.