November 10, 2012

Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) has completed a $9-million construction and renovation project at its Harper Campus in Charlotte, N.C. Jenkins•Peer Architects worked with the College to add 34,422 square feet of new construction, and renovate 20,752 square feet of existing space.

With the expansion, Harper Campus is now home to 11 new classrooms, needed to grow the campus’s general education offerings; a new carpentry, masonry, and blueprint reading classroom, to enhance the capabilities of its Crowder Construction Institute; and a new walk-in bookstore and expanded parking area to keep pace with the campus’s expanding student body.

The campus has renovated several spaces as well. The Non-destructive Examination program was consolidated and now features three dedicated classrooms and a larger, general purpose lab that includes a darkroom, state-of-the-art X-ray booth and six-ton crane. The pre-existing welding lab was expanded, creating additional space for CPCC’s pipe fabrication classes, and the Electrical Technology and Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration program labs were upgraded to help instructors better train students on today’s emerging technologies.

In addition, the campus expanded its GraphicArts and Flexography program by adding a second floor to an existing high bay space. The larger, reconfigured room now can accommodate new graphic arts equipment, printing rooms and classroom space, significantly increasing the program’s capacity. As part of the renovation, the Graphic Design program also was relocated to the third floor, giving students a new computer lab and project studio area where they can complete semester-long projects.

“Our recent expansion and renovation projects touched every single program we offer at Harper Campus. These are programs that prepare students for specific career fields and jobs,” said Jay Potter, dean of the CPCC Harper Campus. “These changes will help us better serve our students, which is the core mission of CPCC.”

CPCC’s Harper Campus opened its doors in 1999, boasting more than 100,600 square-feet of space designed to support the College’s Applied Technologies Division and Construction Technologies Division programs.