JonesDBR worked with PBK Architects on the new Brazos Center at Texas State Technical College (TSTC) – Fort Bend County in Rosenberg, Texas. TSTC provides technical instruction and Wharton County Junior College provides academic instruction. The Brazos Center was created with support from local community leaders to help fill the skills gaps and train local skilled trade workers from Fort Bend County and the surrounding areas. TSTC now offers a number of degree and certification programs at their Fort Bend Campus including Industrial Systems Technology, Cyber Security, Robotics, and Welding Technology.
The Brazos Center is a 57,000 square foot state-of-the-art academic and workforce training facility. JonesDBR designed mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems as well as technology – including data cabling, video surveillance, intrusion detection, access control, and MDF/IDF room layout and design.
Academic programs to be housed in the Brazos Center will include Instrumentation, Robotics, Electrical Power and Control, Construction Technologies, and Occupational Safety and Environmental Compliance. In addition, there will be a number of administrative functions housed in the new building, including Student Services, Student Development, Counseling and Testing, Administrative and Staff/Faculty offices, a Learning Resource Center, a student lounge, and a bookstore with a small dining/vending area.
Designed with a street concept, the main street/corridor is lit with natural light from clerestory windows and light wells. The building’s lobby features a high ceiling with an open stair and spaces for seating. Throughout the lobby and corridors, places are provided for students to sit and study, relax, or collaborate. The building is concrete tilt-wall construction and the façade features various metal panel systems and glazing to tie in with the campus design standards. The growing Fort Bend campus is tied together with pedestrian walkways and parking. Cooling is provided from a chiller plant that was designed by PBK and DBR with the construction of the first building on the campus.