NEWARK, NJ — Things are about to get state-of-the-art at Essex County College. On Monday, the college announced that it plans to open a $4 million media center and student lounge at its main campus in downtown Newark.

The new space replaces the former Martin Luther King, Jr. Media Center and is located on the fourth floor of the Zachary Yamba building.

Designed by RSC Architects, the renovated 18,800-square-foot "Information Commons" has 140 computer workstations, seven classrooms, breakout rooms, open lounges and a computer lab.

The year-long, $4 million project transformed the decades-old library into an open space that includes meeting areas, breakout rooms and information kiosks, college administrators stated.

The new center includes two interesting features: a "living wall" of regenerative plants and a curved "water wall" that utilizes synthetic oil between two pieces of glass to create the look of flowing water.