The Center for Science and Discovery establishes a new gateway for STEM education at Jefferson Community and Technical College’s downtown Louisville campus. Replacing an outdated science facility, the new 37,000 SF building provides a contemporary learning environment that supports evolving teaching methods, interdisciplinary collaboration, and hands-on scientific discovery while serving as a catalyst for future campus development.
The two-story facility brings together teaching laboratories, classrooms, lecture spaces, faculty offices, administrative functions, and collaborative learning environments for astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, and physics. Organized around discipline-based clusters, the design places instructional spaces, faculty offices, and lab support areas in close proximity, encouraging interaction between students and faculty while creating opportunities for informal learning beyond the classroom. Open collaboration areas and “Science on Display” features further reinforce the building’s role as an active, engaging center for exploration and discovery.
Beyond meeting the College’s academic needs, the building establishes a strong architectural identity for the campus. Its contemporary material palette reinforces the visual language introduced by Omni Architects’ nearby Advanced Manufacturing and Information Technology Center, helping unify a campus previously composed of unrelated buildings. The transparent west façade opens to a new campus quadrangle, filling collaboration spaces with natural daylight and strengthening connections between indoor learning environments and outdoor gathering spaces. Together, these strategies create an inviting, highly visible destination that reflects Jefferson Community and Technical College’s commitment to innovation, student success, and the future of STEM education.
