Florence-Darlington Technical College, Automotive and HVAC Technology Center

Certified: 2 Green Globes® by the Green Building Initiative® (GBI)

The new 35,800 SF building was designed to expand instructional offerings in the automotive and HVAC curricula, as well as foster opportunities for students between the institution and the Darlington raceway. The lobby serves as a display area for exhibiting vehicles customized by the students and acts as a marketing tool for prospective employers and students. A full-sized automotive paint booth and bays with dedicated ventilation are comparable to what graduates would encounter in a real-world setting, enhancing recruiting efforts.

The design aesthetic enables the building to function as a showpiece even though it was built using pre-engineered metal construction and was delivered within tight budget and schedule constraints. The project received Green Globes certification due to the enhanced efficiency and lifecycle costs of the equipment specified by our design team.

The new academic building is the first phase of the college’s ten-year academic master plan authored by McMillan Pazdan Smith and JMZ Architects and Planners. It is sited between the main campus and the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology.