Antelope Valley College (AVC) in Lancaster, California celebrated the opening of the school’s new Sage Hall on October 29 in a special ribbon cutting ceremony. Sage Hall, the new 35,000 SF, two-story academic commons at Antelope Valley College, plays an integral role in student success, providing students the resources they need to excel with new classrooms, offices, a learning center, and a computer lab.

There is often a stigma attached to tutoring centers, a feeling that one goes there only when doing poorly. HMC worked together with the program’s Dean and faculty to develop the vision of the center as an open, airy, and friendly gateway to success, not merely a place students go when they are struggling but also a place for them to develop tools needed to succeed. That openness starts outside where the lobby and outdoor amphitheater stair look out onto a major intersection on campus. Envisioned as a gateway, the lobby roof reaches out over the entry and sidewalk, creating shelter from the high desert sun. The exterior finishes, inspired by the desert landscape extend through into the two-story lobby space blurring the distinction between indoors and out.

In November 2016, Antelope Valley voters passed the $300 million Measure AV bond to fund updates, repairs, and improvements to the Antelope Valley Community College District’s infrastructure. Sage Hall is the first major project constructed utilizing the bond’s funds and will play a vital role on campus in keeping students of all ages and backgrounds engaged, fostering success, and reducing failure and drop-out rates.

“This building represents the vision of the learning center. It will give students a place to learn and study in an open and welcoming environment for decades to come.”

          -Riley Dwyer, Dean of Rhetoric and Literacy, AVC