Two Groundbreakings on Mesa College Campus Begin Construction on Sunrise Plaza – the College’s New Front Door

San Diego, CA, September 27, 2014 --(PR.com)-- More than 150 faculty members, staff, contractors, and San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) representatives turned out to kick off the beginning of construction on 200,000 square feet of land at San Diego Mesa College on September 25. The Mesa Commons and Exercise Science Center are two new buildings that will make up Sunrise Plaza, the new front door to the campus.

“It is a wonderful opportunity to break ground on the new gateway into San Diego Mesa College,” said San Diego Community College District Chancellor Constance M. Carroll, Ph.D. “These two new buildings, funded by San Diego taxpayers through Propositions S and N, will transform roughly 200,000 square feet of the college.”

Funded by Proposition N and scheduled for completion in 2015, the new $44.3 million Mesa Commons will consist of a two-story, 60,000-square-foot building that will house campus food services, a bookstore, coffee bar, convenience store, campus stockroom, faculty/staff reprographic services, auxiliary conference rooms, and the culinary arts/culinary management program – including a student-run restaurant and rooftop garden. The building’s design features sustainable elements including natural ventilation, solar water heating, radiant floor heating, storm water harvesting, and daylighting.

The state-of-the-art, $15.3 million Exercise Science Center, funded by Proposition S, will be a two-story, 27,200-square-foot steel structure to be occupied by the Mesa College Athletics Department.

The contemporary center will include an aerobics studio, weight training room, spinning room, free weight training lab, athletic training room, a wet lab with whirlpools and icing stations to treat injuries, cardio fitness training lab, and an office suite.

“When people walk into Sunrise Plaza a year from now, they won’t just see the newly transformed campus, they will see what it means to invest in the health and future of our community,” said San Diego Mesa College President Pamela Luster, Ed.D. “Students will have new learning facilities, faculty will have new teaching environments, and the modern fitness facilities will provide top-of-the-line resources for our student athletes and all other members of the Mesa College population.”

Like the Mesa Commons, the Exercise Science Center boasts a wealth of sustainable features. Glass along the south face of the center pulls daylight into the building while providing a strong visual connection between interior and exterior spaces. Exterior shading devices at southern windows and the second floor cantilever provide shade on wall and glass surfaces, which reduces interior heat gain from the sun’s daily movement. The composition of the exterior walls will provide an effective thermal envelope that aids in reducing energy use – providing a comfortable indoor environment without increasing cooling demand.

Twenty percent of the building’s materials will incorporate recycled content; 10 percent of the building’s materials are regional (within 500 miles). Ninety-five percent of the wood will be certified in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council, and over 75 percent of the construction waste/debris will be recycled and diverted from a landfill.

Water conservation was also a key factor in the building’s design. Through water-efficient plumbing fixtures and sensor controls, potable water used for irrigating the landscape will be reduced by 82 percent and the building’s use of potable water will be reduced by 37 percent.

Both projects are on track to obtain a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

Tiarah Tucker, Mesa College Student Athlete and double major in Environmental Science and Environmental Studies stated, “Having like-minded students creates a cohesive environment to learn, share, study, and engage each other.

Exercise Science Project Team:

· Design-Build Team: Balfour Beatty Construction/gkkworks
· Civil Engineer: Nasland Engineering
· Electrical Engineer: Michael Wall Engineering/Gould
· Mechanical Engineer: Southland Industries
· Structural Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers
· Landscape Architect: McCullough Landscape Architecture
· Propositions S and N Program Manager: Gafcon, Inc.
· Campus Project Manager: Jim Bray, Gafcon, Inc.
· Project Manager: Amanda Alpiner, Gafcon, Inc.
· Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment Project Manager: Eloisa Raymundo, Gafcon, Inc.

Mesa Commons Project Team:

· Design-Build Team: Balfour Beatty Construction, SGPA Architecture and Planning, and The Miller Hull Partnership
· Civil Engineer: Latitude 33
· Electrical Engineer: Sparling
· Mechanical/Plumbing Engineer: MA Engineers
· Structural Engineer: Hope-Amundson
· Landscape Architect: McCullough Landscape Architecture
· Propositions S and N Program Manager: Gafcon, Inc.
· Campus Project Manager: Jim Bray, Gafcon, Inc.
· Project Manager: Mike Clark, Gafcon, Inc.
· Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment Project Manager: Eloisa Raymundo, Gafcon, Inc.

The $1.555 billion Propositions S and N construction bond program is providing state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities, major renovations, and campuswide infrastructure projects at City, Mesa, and Miramar Colleges and seven Continuing Education campuses throughout San Diego. For more information, please visit http://public.sdccdprops-n.com. For high-resolution photographs or renderings, please contact Alicia Cook at (832) 627-8073 or acook@gafcon.com