Community College Chemistry Lab Renovations

DRAW Collective is working with Westmoreland County Community College (WCCC) to renovate and refresh the chemistry lab suite on their Youngwood Campus. The suite consists of two general chemistry labs, an organic chemistry lab, an instrumentation lab, and lab support spaces. These spaces have been in continuous use for nearly thirty years, and it was important to WCCC to update them to provide students with a modern learning environment. The current configuration of the lab spaces included elevated lab services at each bench with a central trough-style sink which prevented visual observation of student experiments and limited accessibility. These labs are a heavily used space on campus, and completing the renovation with minimal disruption to their use is a key consideration for this project. All utilities, hoods, fixtures, casework and lab benches are being replaced. New accessible fume hoods are also included in each of the labs, along with accessible work areas and sinks.

Because the chemistry labs are such heavily utilized spaces, maintaining their operation throughout the construction process is a key consideration for the project. DRAW collaborated closely with the chemistry faculty to understand the class schedules and lab utilization for each of the spaces. Based on this information, DRAW developed a construction sequencing plan to allow chemistry courses to continue throughout the renovation process.