Romeo Engineering & Technology Center

Romeo, Michigan

Firm

Fanning Howey

Client

Romeo Community Schools

Area

90,288 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$12,259,836

Completion Date

08/2003

The Romeo Engineering & Technology Center offers high school students in this suburban community one of the most advanced career and technical education programs in the nation. Design concepts for the classrooms were explored carefully with the district’s planning committee, composed largely of faculty members and representatives of local businesses.
The building is designed with a high-tech, industrial aesthetic with exposed systems, bold forms and generous ceiling heights. Each classroom and laboratory space affords students ample opportunities to work independently or in teams, taking projects from concept to manufacturing and marketing.
One priority was to include appropriate classroom sizes in order to accommodate both traditional equipment and cutting-edge resources, as well as to ensure safety. The planning committee also reviewed adjacencies and, in some cases, the incorporation of operable walls to facilitate interdisciplinary instruction, curriculum integration and team-teaching.
Many of the classrooms also reflect a professional business setting with warm, subdued colors, drywall, office furniture and sophisticated lighting. All rooms have digital projectors linked to VCR/DVD players and faculty computers.