Made possible by a donation from American River College engineering alumna Diane Bryant, this new 3-story namesake building aims to be inclusive. It supports engineering students who may face similar adversities as Ms. Bryant by making the STEM disciplines approachable to a community with a high percentage of first-generation college students, and by serving as a community resource.

The building’s L-shaped configuration anticipates future campus buildings and forms two new outdoor spaces: a “STEM Walk” that connects lower and upper campus and a landscaped “STEM Courtyard”. An Engineering Shop opens to the courtyard, enabling materials science students to conduct large-scale experiments. The MESA Center, adjacent to the main entry, anchors the building’s corner and puts STEM learning on display via floor-to-ceiling glazing, mimicking resources students might find in their desired workplaces.

On each level of the three story building, a material change visually highlights a collaboration zone consisting of faculty offices combined with breakout spaces, designed to enhance student-faculty interaction. Graphics span the collaboration spaces and are highly visible from the exterior, highlighting movement from the first to third floors. Multistudio worked together with students and staff to come up with a graphic concept and used color to showcase the intersection of the STEM disciplines.