In a unique partnership, the City of Ridgefield, Clark College, and the Clark College Foundation came together to revamp community interest and access to local manufacturing jobs. When they called out to the design community to visualize The Workforce Innovation Center, we responded with a full campus plan to transform Boschma Farm into an innovation hub for training and education.
To develop our concept for the Workforce Innovation Training Center—the heart of the district—we gathered input from different types of manufacturers, asking them to reimagine a classroom based on a new model of applied learning. We found that large, adaptable spaces accommodate any type of equipment students may learn with. Using a mass timber structure, the center will celebrate the area’s roots in timber manufacturing and offer the large, flexible floor plates ideal for heavy equipment training.
Visible from Interstate-5, the Boschma Innovation District sits in the heart of the Ridgefield technology and manufacturing corridor. The integrated campus program will offer visitors and students places to eat, shop, study, immerse in cultural and ecological experiences, and easily access industrial manufacturing clusters. In addition to workforce training, the campus will promote K-12 visits and internships, offer public event space, provide a headquarters for the City of Ridgefield, and become a flagship location for Clark College.
Because the area is close to farmland and nature reservoirs, our vision incorporates existing mature trees and calls for a comprehensive water management plan. Bike paths will connect cyclists and hikers to the regional trails and bridge the campus to the nearby elementary school and residential neighborhood.
The Boschma Innovation District displays the resiliency of Ridgefield and the greater Clark County region. By adapting to new education models and offering shared community amenities, the project will create a new generation of skilled leaders, connected to their local industry and to the people of their region.
