Umpqua Community College Teaching and Learning Programming PreDesign

Best Bang for the Buck

Umpqua Community College (UCC) set a clear goal from the outset: revitalize an aging teaching and learning space while getting the most value out of every dollar spent. Systems West partnered with Mahlum on a series of early planning meetings and joined the project team to help shape the program options that would eventually become the new facility. Our primary task was to build a comprehensive plan that could guide accurate cost estimation from the earliest stages. Throughout programming and early schematic design, we ran dynamic brainstorming sessions with the team, testing creative and practical approaches to bringing the space back to life.

Exploring Avenues

The HVAC system presented the biggest early challenge. Fitting the existing infrastructure to the new design took careful, deliberate work, and the project’s initial funding limitations meant we had to think in phases rather than all at once. Our team laid out multiple cost tiers the college could implement over time, giving UCC a path to a fully optimized HVAC system without requiring the full investment up front. Solving this piece early was critical to keeping the rest of the project on track.

After weighing the options, Systems West recommended a design-build approach. The building had not seen significant renovation in years, and design-build fit naturally with the campus’s broader plan for the space. Our team had already earned UCC’s trust through a previous project on campus, a full tear-down and rebuild of Taphòytha’ Hall (formerly Snyder Hall). Mahlum recognized that track record and brought us on with confidence that we could deliver the same level of results here.

In With the New

W Working within an older building gave our team an exciting challenge to solve. Finding ways to modernize a historic structure while respecting a tight budget pushed us to be resourceful at every stage. Knowing the finished space would serve UCC students directly kept the team focused on the bigger picture. We approached the project with one goal in mind: create a space that supports learning and brings the campus community together.

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