Date: 2008-09-05
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Mesa Community College, Barton Malow and SmithGroup join together to invite the public to the dedication and opening of MCC's new physical science building and planetarium Monday, Sept. 22 at 9 a.m. The building is located on the Southern and Dobson campus at 1833 W. Southern Ave., Mesa. Tours of the facility will follow the ceremony.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Mesa Community College, Barton Malow and SmithGroup join together to invite the public to the dedication and opening of MCC's new physical science building and planetarium Monday, Sept. 22 at 9 a.m. The building is located on the Southern and Dobson campus at 1833 W. Southern Ave., Mesa. Tours of the facility will follow the ceremony.
The 60,000 square foot building coupled with the 2,100 square foot planetarium will be the first LEED certified building at MCC and first major LEED certified building in the Maricopa County Community College District. Barton Malow was the Construction Manager at Risk.
The SmithGroup-designed facility houses state-of-the-art classrooms and labs to serve the nearly 5,000 students a semester that enroll in astronomy, chemistry, engineering, geology and physics courses. The building's design also reflects the college's focus to provide an intellectually engaging environment which supports student/faculty collaboaration and innovative teaching methods responsive to a variety of learning styles.
"In the building design, we tried to maximize the opportunity for students to learn in formal, informal and impromptu settings," said Mike Sims, MCC physical science department chair. "We also tried to make the instructional technology seamless from both student and faculty perspectives."
SmithGroup, the architecture and engineering firm, incorporated sustainability features to meet the strict environmental standards needed for LEED certification and equipped the building with technology to continually assess energy performance, temperature and air flow. Energy from the sun will help power the 53-seat planetaruim through solar panels donated by SRP. The panels also double as a shade canopy for the Astronomy Plaza below.
"Last semester I had a class in the old building, which didn't capture my enthusiasm to learn," said Philip Garcia, MCC aeronautical science transfer student. "This building motivates me to take physics and do well."
MCC students, visiting school groups and the public will experience the night sky and universe in the 53-seat planetarium through an IMAX quality, Digistar 3 projection system built by Evans & Sutherland Computer Co. A rooftop observation deck complements the planetarium for telescopic viewing of the night sky.
"I'm particulary excited about providing students with a state-of-the-art experience to see the planets and Milky Way first hand without going outside of the city," said Kevin Healy, MCC astronomy professor.
The $20 million budget included $16 million in construction costs with $4 million in technology, furniture, fixtures and equipment. The project was supported by funds made available from the MCCCD bond initiative of 2004.