This world-class innovative and collaborative learning environment brings together industry, higher education, and government in partnership to develop new tools, techniques, and technologies to address near-term manufacturing challenges through applied research and advanced technical training. This space is modeled after the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing in Sheffield, England and offers apprenticeship programs that combine job-related technical instruction with structured on-the-job learning experiences.

The development, design, and construction of the project was a collaborative process. Portland Community College chose progressive design-build delivery to simplify and integrate decision-making and coordination. The customer was fully committed to the philosophies of IPD and wanted to achieve the smoothest capital project expansion.

Portland Community College is a two-year college with several major campuses and a number of satellite locations offering programs in a metropolitan area covering 1,500 square miles. It has an open admissions policy and enrolls approximately 73,000 students annually, with a curriculum that includes career-technical programs, community education, academic transfer courses, and classes in basic skills.