FRESNO ADULT EDUCATION CENTER

Design Statement

The Fresno Adult Education Center provides short-term career skill courses to be completed with certificates as well as casual courses to support lifelong education and personal development. The building is an adaptive reuse project of an office building in Fresno, California. It has been hypothetically relocated to the Riverpark area in Fresno near other adult schools to promote the expansion of adult education. 

More adult education centers will very soon be necessary due to population aging. The Central Valley will see a 68% increase in the number of seniors by 2035, which is a growth faster than any other region in California besides Los Angeles. Our typical lifespan keeps increasing, thus causing various issues with retirement and social security benefits. People are staying in the workforce longer because of this so it will be important for there to be more education centers in the central valley to support that and help adults upskill or retrain for their jobs. In addition to this, it will be important to support adults' mental and social well being through providing more environments that support lifelong learning. Both of these major aspects will support social sustainability and social infrastructure in Fresno. Aspects of environmental psychology have been implemented throughout the building to provide open and comfortable spaces through the use of wood elements to resemble nature as well as a light color palette in rooms such as the classrooms, lecture hall, and art room. Many study and lounge areas have been provided on each floor to encourage social interaction as well as focusing on individual tasks. 

Three stories have been added to the structure using the perimeter of the original overhang to expand the building’s footprint. The floor to ceiling windows that wrap around the building on the first floor have been repeated on the upper three floors to provide each room ample daylight and a good view to the outside to create a peaceful and engaging environment. The building holds twenty-three classrooms including art rooms, lecture halls, and computer labs. To enhance users’ comfort and reflect environmental sustainability, the exterior of the building includes green walls on the east, green balconies on the front facade, and exterior shading along the rooms facing west.

“Fresno Aging Population Demographics.” AgewellFresno, 28 Nov. 2018, https://www.agewellfresno.com/fresno-aging-population-demographics/.