Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence

Designed by Cesar Pelli 2011 The Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence serves as a hub for STEM education and workforce training. The building includes integrated labs, classrooms, and flexible spaces arranged around two light-filled courtyards. Fritted glass manages glare and heat, while exposed steel framing and non-load-bearing walls allow for adaptability as technology evolves.

The AMCE serves as a state-of-the art education and workforce training center. Cesar Pelli said, “I am excited to be designing a building again for Columbus, Indiana; a city that I much admire and love.”

The gallery includes photos of Cesar Pelli at the dedication. Pelli entered Columbus’ architecture scene in the early 1970s with the original Commons and Courthouse Center. His Commons superstructure has been retained to be incorporated into the new Commons.

Pelli also suggested the city’s beloved Chaos I sculpture for his building. Pelli’s works include Petronas Twin Towers, at one time the world’s tallest buildings, and the World Financial Center complex.

Design Architect: Cesar Pelli
Senior Design Associate: Darin C. Cook
Pelli Clarke Pelli – New Haven, CT
Associate Architects
Ratio Architects – Indianapolis

Officially named the Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AMCE), this education and workforce training center serves students and industry in southeastern Indiana. Designed for a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum, the facility provides certification and degree programs, as well as development services for manufacturers. The building contains integrated technology labs, classrooms, faculty offices, conference rooms, and student/faculty common areas.

With two central outdoor courtyards, the interior of the Manufacturing Center is filled with natural light from large perimeter and courtyard windows. The glass is fritted to control heat and glare. The building’s simple steel structure is expressed with perimeter columns and the roof framing is exposed at the overhangs. The exterior and interior walls are made of silver-colored metal panels and are non-load-bearing to allow for flexibility to meet future needs or technology changes.

The AMCE building is located on an academic campus that includes buildings for Indiana University – Purdue University at Columbus (IUPUC), Ivy Tech Community College, and the Columbus Learning Center. AMCE was funded with grants from the Heritage Fund of Bartholomew County and the Lilly Endowment. Its programs are coordinated by the Community Education Coalition.

“This is a building whose purpose is extraordinary. This is a building that will contribute a great deal to Columbus today and many generations. A building that will be training youngsters … to allow them to pursue rich, fulfilling and productive lives.” – Cesar Pelli, 2009

“Common challenges and opportunities exist within regional companies in the manufacturing sector, providing an opportunity for the Center of Excellence to partner with academic centers to position this region as a magnet that would attract highly qualified experts and new companies.” – Report by the Columbus Economic Development Board, 1996

Related
View more photos on the Pelli Clark Pelli website.
Learn about Cesar Pelli’s earlier Columbus design for The Commons in The Architect’s Newspaper.