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industry
Higher Education
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location
Birmingham, Alabama
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year
2022
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square footage
258,000
industry
Higher Education
location
Birmingham, Alabama
year
2022
square footage
258,000
Highlands College is a Biblical higher education institution that exists to supply the church with leaders to fulfill the Great Commission. This mission requires a premier facility and campus, and its previous location no longer met the capacity needed to gain and maintain its thriving student body. Through an incredible opportunity, the college was able to purchase the former HealthSouth headquarters on U.S. Highway 280. TURNERBATSON was selected as the architect to redesign the existing building into a cutting-edge college campus.
The five-story, 258,000 SF facility is a collaborative and relational place for the students and faculty to spend quality time interacting with one another. Each floor features an enlarged open circulation space where individuals can relax, converse, or spend time in a group or individual study. Learning studios and practicum spaces allow for a holistic training experience bringing more flexibility to the traditional classroom and providing students living laboratories of the church.
The design intent for the interiors was to provide a sustainable, engaging facility that connects the users with their environment. This includes large expanses of glass to provide unobstructed views of the outdoors and natural materials such as wood and concrete to create a tactile, grounded, and organic foundation. The use of strong graphics, vibrant colors, and patterns in textiles and furniture invigorate areas and reinforce the Highlands College brand, creating a bright and welcoming college atmosphere.
At its center, the campus features a campus green as a place to encourage outdoor walkability or allow students to relax and restore. Massive expanses of glass showcase the building’s interior allowing students to connect from a distance. Due to the academy style approach, dorm-style housing facilities will be provided on campus as well as adequate on-campus parking. TURNERBATSON also redesigned the Church of the Highlands Grandview Campus, which will be located at the current Cahaba Grand Conference Center on site.
RESULTS