The Partnership Center, a classroom and departmental building, is intentionally designed to contrast the campus visual character while creating a new campus entry. The building consists of three key elements: classrooms contained within a black brick, three story box; collegial spaces of glass and aluminum attached to the box; and an open lobbied public entry area that interconnects two buildings.
There are 27 classrooms ranging from an intimate 20 person discussion area to a divisible 100 person lecture hall. Collegial student spaces that encourage casual group interactions are spread throughout the building. The Partnership Center also serves the upper division courses that Minnesota State University offers on this metropolitan campus.
Native plant materials are used around the building as part of the college’s sustainability goals, which includes the respectful preservation of the vast wetlands north of the campus.