The Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency (KRESA) provides a continuum of educational services and support to students, families, school districts, and communities. To better suit their students and community, the organization chose to build a world-class career and technical education facility that would host most of the county’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.
Called the “Career Connect Campus”, this new $85M career and technical educational center serves high-school students and adult learners from private, public and regional school districts across the county. With a capacity of 1,400 students, KRESA offers more than 23 hands-on programs from automotive repair and welding to machine tooling and culinary arts – the campus aims to set a new national standard for career and technical education.
Design Vision
A central design mandate was to create an environment that reflected Michigan’s landscape. The team sought abundant daylight, strong indoor-outdoor connections, and the use of sustainable materials – criteria that pointed to mass timber.
Hybrid Mass Timber and Steel Structure
This 2-storey building uses a hybrid structural system featuring exposed CLT decking supported by a steel-braced frame with CMU sheer walls. Steel beams are clad in nanoCLT to visually match the mass timber (the smaller purlins being Glulam). This hybrid approach reduced the building’s embodied carbon while creating a warm, biophilic learning environment intended to promote student well-being and cognitive performance.
This project is currently under construction and is expected to open in the fall of 2025.
Element5’s Scope
KRESA chose Element5 to provide the connection design, supply, and delivery of:
- 175mm 5-ply CLT roof panels
- Glulam beams
- 19mm 3-ply nanoCLT panels
- Associated steel connections & fasteners
The result is a soaring and inspiring environment for experiential learning, delivering both performance and beauty. This sustainable, student-centered design fosters a connection to nature while preparing the next generation for high-demand careers.
The KRESA Career Connect Campus had its Grand Opening in May of 2025.
