The University of Alaska Southeast, Sitka campus is housed in a redesigned World War II float plane hangar, which has undergone several renovations. In 2010, NorthWind was hired to complete a final phase of a series of renovations and construction begun in 2006 to create spaces to meet the changing needs of the school’s current student population, which includes a large percentage of online learners. The focus of the project was to design an alternative energy lab, a large lecture and demonstration hall, and a student success center.

Due to the numerous renovations to the building over the years, the client and NorthWind began with a master planning for the campus to think critically about how the campus should function. Our plan made recommendations to simplify navigation and rationalize circulation through the hangar. Upon completion in 2012, the 200-seat lecture hall included state-of-the-art video conferencing and online teaching equipment and was the only facility of its kind in Sitka.