With a mission to provide educational opportunities to a diverse community, Housatonic Community College (HCC) is prominently located in downtown Bridgeport on the site (and in the structure) of a former shopping mall. A 48,000 sf addition to the main campus building, which was converted to HCC in the mid-1990s, adds critical program areas and radically changes HCC’s relationship to its urban context. No longer set back from the street by a vast concrete plaza and visually lost between abutting structures, the main entry and architectural face of HCC boldly reaches out to the City. Two glazed “boxes” on masonry bases that reference the existing campus, bisected by a multi-level glazed entry and circulation atrium, welcome the public in and put the college’s academic life on display. The entry sequence leads directly to a main common space that is an area for informal and programmed functions as well as the organizing space for the college’s enrollment and student service functions. The space also marks the entry point for visitors to the college’s highly regarded art museum and creates a seamless transition to renovated areas of the original structure. A glazed wall separates the common area from a new courtyard and washes the interior in light. The courtyard acts as a secondary entry and place for informal community connection. The overall environment of transparency, spaces for public interaction and clear programmatic organization respond to HCC’s mission of promoting access and empowerment through education. The addition has been certified LEED Silver.