Paradise Valley Community College Aquila Hall

Aquila Hall is an integrated learning facility that combines the STEM disciplines of geology, astronomy, and chemistry into one cohesive environment.

The design team faced the challenge of providing adaptability to meet the needs of the science program with only two labs in the new facility. This made storage paramount, ensuring classes had easy access to equipment. The solution included extensive storage behind moveable whiteboards, allowing efficient access to teaching materials for multiple science classes.

Inspired by these varied sciences, the design concept explores faceted geometries visible in metal panel walls and canopies, floor patterns, and ceiling skylight patterns. The main entrances and patio feature metal canopies crafted from structural folds, whose planes continue inside to form the lobby ceiling. The folding planes of the lobby are dotted with “constellations” created with recessed lights and solatubes.

Warm, earthy interior materials and open views connect the building to its site, while the faceted design elements are reflected in the furniture, fabric selections, vinyl flooring pattern, and custom millwork pieces throughout. The unity of each facet – a mineral’s crystal structures, night sky constellations, or complex molecular forms – enhances this PVCC campus star.