The building includes the admissions, counseling and financial aid departments, Disability Support Programs and Services, Veteran Affairs, student activities, Extended Opportunities, Programs and Services, a bookstore, cafeteria, espresso bar, convenience store and extensive space for student gatherings and clubs. The building is currently aiming for LEED Silver certification.

Several notable design elements distinguish the services center. The lobby contains a hybrid glass elevator with all the mechanics of the machine contained within the hoist way. The building also has two smoke evacuation zones — one in the light well and one in the lobby — that required the mechanical and fire alarm systems to be checked and coordinated. The exterior stairs, made of concrete, are cantilevered and support themselves.

Another interesting element of design is the building’s new solar water heating system. Solar collectors were installed on the roof to heat water pumped through the building to serve all of the sinks and equipment according to Sam Myovich, project manager from C.W. Driver. The center also has a diesel generator capable of powering all critical systems in the building in case of a power outage.

Various elements of sustainable design characterize the facility, such as a naturally lit atrium that harnesses sunlight into the building’s center and helps ventilate the space, photovoltaic panels that capture energy and provide shade and the use of reclaimed water for flushing toilets and irrigating the landscape. The building team used Building Information Modeling (BIM) to help orient the structure to maximize sunlight and shade efficiency, and the building is 35 percent more efficient than California’s Title 24 energy efficiency code for construction requires.

The team explained that the BIM coordination went very well, even though there were a few challenges in the beginning, the end result was a successful project.

“It started off a little rocky with the underground coordination but we had the entire building’s systems modeled and signed off by February of 2012, well ahead of the work in the field,” said Myovich.

They also mentioned that the commission’s process went very smoothly, with the contractors exceeding expectations by always meeting tight deadlines and ensuring that the mechanical systems in the building were working properly.

The new Student Services Center will have a highly positive impact on student life. The “one-stop shop” for students includes modern technology, a new bookstore and a new cafeteria that has an open and airy food court-style feel with numerous options for students, faculty and staff, according to Ursula Kroemer, bond program manager at Gafcon.

The center allows the large number of student activities on campus to come together in a centralized location. The building is more accessible for students and staff with mobility issues as well, with furniture that accommodates wheel chairs and accessible restrooms. In addition to the numerous resources in the Services Center, a new Welcome Center is being built next door, further helping to centralize all aspects of the student body. “This has been a $1.6 billion investment into the future of education in San Diego, providing for what has often been a radical transformation of our educational and vocational training facilities to rival any four-year university,” they said.

The project team included a dedicated group of members such as NTD Architecture, construction manager C.W. Driver, RBF Consulting as the civil engineer, Michael Wall Engineering and Gafcon Inc.

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The campus had not seen much improvement in 37 years, but the new buildings now have “up-to-date systems and a lot of natural light. It’s shown that when students work in a positive environment, the results improve. [The new facilities provide] a better learning environment, which makes it a more positive experience overall,” said Teri Jones, vice president of business development for Sundt in California.

Kevin Teel, project architect for TLCD Architecture, said the original buildings were small and cramped, so TLCD helped improve those learning environments with three major enhancements.

First, the project tripled the size of the old library to 10,000 square feet, which also added the latest technologies and incorporated much better daylighting, with vaulted ceilings and windows that overlook campus.

The building for the culinary arts program — one of the school’s most popular programs — was updated with completely new equipment and continues to feature a full kitchen and restaurant that is open to the public three days a week. In addition, a new audio/visual system was added so that students and the public can now sit in the dining area and watch what lessons are taught back in the kitchen.

Lastly, the science rooms received all new lab equipment, a new cadaver room and were updated with 21st century gas and water supplies, along with data connection.

Jones is particularly proud of the facility created for the culinary arts program. “The campus is known for that program. They actually serve meals there, and [guests] have to make reservations because it’s always sold out. We were very excited to be a part of constructing that facility for that program because it’s in such high demand.”

Teel added, “The culinary arts program was an interesting middle ground because the school was obviously doing something for students, but the whole part of their philosophy was to bring the public onto the campus and interact with the student body, recognizing that there’s interesting learning opportunities there. I took that piece as being an island that captured campus life but was also trying to pull in the public at large, which I think is really important. “

One of the project’s biggest challenges was working to keep the campus fully functional despite the fact that Sundt was constructing three buildings in different locations throughout the campus, Jones said. During construction, Sundt worked with campus officials to avoid any inconveniences and safety concerns. In fact, crews responded to a staff request and rebuilt a sidewalk between two existing buildings so that student foot traffic was not interrupted at the start of summer school.

Now completed, the new facilities total 26,000 square feet and are pending LEED Silver certification. Sundt, one of the country’s largest general contractors, was responsible for the demolition, site work, utilities and construction, while TLCD was the architect. The project began in May 2011 and was completed at the end of August 2012.

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