MiraCosta College – Learning Commons

The MiraCosta Learning Commons is a renovation project of a 48,000 sf campus library building that was originally constructed in 2002. The work was completed in 2024 and the main goals of the renovation concentrated on updating the facility to meet current needs of program, technology and culture, while supporting the educational, economic, cultural, and social well-being of the communities it serves.

Located within the heart of the campus, the building sits across the main quad area and is deemed a community hub by its faculty, staff and students. Design objectives focused on context, organizational improvements and enhancing the quality of space. From an interior standpoint, wayfinding and navigation were resolved by creating a central organizational spine using distinctive materials, colors and graphics. Exposed ceilings within the learning areas were to obtain a greater interior volume to harmonize proportions between horizontal and vertical dimensions, while vibrant ceiling colors were implemented to provide identity to the different open areas. Additionally, relocating the main entry allowed for efficient circulation through the lobby, and also became an opportunity to increase visibility through an identifiable canopy structure that would enhance the exterior. To support the exterior development of the main entry and to control natural daylight into the main lobby area, a custom shading device was designed with folded metal plates and a bold color palette that is inspired by the contextual colors within the campus.