JANESVILLE — Blackhawk Technical College, in collaboration with Angus-Young Associates, is proud to announce that their renovation of the college’s Conference Center, Student Commons and Courtyard Café has been honored with a prestigious Wisconsin Institute of Interior Designers (IIDA) Higher Education Award of Excellence. This recognition celebrates the college’s dedication to honoring innovative design solutions in higher education, providing students with a dynamic and flexible learning environment.
The Wisconsin Institute of Interior Designers (IIDA) Higher Education Award of Excellence given to the Blackhawk Technical College project team at the Celebrate in Design Awards at the Madison Concourse Hotel in April. The team was led by Blackhawk Technical College with local architecture/engineering firm, Angus-Young. JP Cullen served as the general contractor for each of the spaces.
Winners were determined by a jury of design professionals from outside Wisconsin - all of which are experts in their field. Awarded to only two projects in the state of Wisconsin, the judging criteria for the higher education award outlined a project that successfully represented innovation and originality in design. The winner also had to address design challenges and demonstrate a successful incorporation of materials and interior finishes into the overall design.
“Blackhawk Technical College gave us the opportunity to design a space that will serve a multitude of uses. Not just for the staff and students, but for the community as well,” said Joe Stadelman, Angus-Young President. “At Angus-Young, we take joy in bringing our clients’ visions to life. This award bolsters our commitment to collaborating with BTC in designing spaces that provide educational, personal, social and professional growth for their community.”
The award-winning project is a renovation of a 14,310-squre-foot space that spans two floors. The top floor is comprised of a conference center while the bottom floor holds a café, student dining and lounge area. With a vision to create floor plans that better serve Blackhawk students, these spaces provide an open layout that flows from the conference center down to the café, dining and commons areas.
Features offered in the lower-level multi-use areas include a pool table, foosball table, board games, video game consoles and study areas. Designed to be collaborative and inclusive, the versatile furniture and striking color palette brightens and brands the space as distinctly made for Blackhawk students.