Judges for the 2020 Gold Nugget Awards (GNA) have named HMC Architects and Golden West College’s Math and Science Building as an Award of Merit winner in the “Best Educational Project” category. As a result of this honor, the project is automatically a nominee for the Grand Award, the highest honor in each category.

Smashing barriers and accommodating the various ways students learn is the hallmark of any STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program. So, when we began to design the new Math and Science Building in Huntington Beach, California we not only wanted to create engaging and flexible twenty-first century teaching and learning spaces, we were also determined to put these spaces on display. In this facility, STEM activities that were once taught in isolation now overlap in ways where the lines between them are not easily identified and the spaces are designed so that students passing through can see fellow classmates experimenting, studying, or engaging in a class. The building integrates all STEM disciplines cohesively, enables academic and interdisciplinary innovation, and inspires its students to reach new levels of success.

A special thanks to Sundt Construction, Coast Community College District, and the leaders, faculty, staff and students at Golden West College who were wonderful creative partners and the true inspiration for this project. This award is a testament to their passion and commitment to inspiring their students.

GNA is the largest and most prestigious competition of its kind in the nation. It honors design and planning achievements in community and home design, green-built housing, site planning, commercial, retail, mixed-use development and specialty housing categories. Winners this year were chosen from 575 entries from around the world. Award of Merit winners are the top vote recipients in each category and are the finalists for the Grand Award, which will be announced on July 24 in a virtual presentation hosted by the Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC). To learn more or to see a full list of award winners, visit PCBC’s website.

Watch the video below to learn more about the project from the designers who brought it to life.