SAN DIEGO – The grand opening ceremony of the San Diego Mesa College Social and Behavioral
Sciences building is the latest facility funded by the San Diego Community College
District’s (SDCCD) $1.555 billion Propositions S and N construction bond program.
A crowd of over 150 enthusiastic faculty, staff, students, and representatives from
the SDCCD turned out Wednesday for the ceremonial ribbon cutting of the three-story,
73,714-square-foot building.
Funded by Proposition S, the $40.5 million building includes 66,000 square feet of
“smart” classrooms, as well as laboratory spaces for Psychology, Anthropology, and
Geography programs. The building layout includes a series of courtyards that open
toward the future Mesa College Quad and also provide daylighting and natural ventilation
opportunities to the majority of the interior spaces. The facility has faculty and
administrative offices, lobby and exhibit space, and the third floor features a multi-use
patio.
Maria Nieto Senour, President, San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees
remarked, “This building is a really important one. It’s going to support academic
disciplines that are at the heart of the social services that our community and our
government provide for residents…it also houses other disciplines that are pertinent
to the humanities and the understanding of the fundamental principles of human behavior
and history.”
The School of Social/Behavioral Sciences and Multicultural Studies is the second largest
instructional school at Mesa College, providing instruction in a diverse array of
disciplines. Event participants enjoyed tours of the facility, educations displays
from students, and laboratory demonstrations from various faculty members. “The Proposition
S-funded Social and Behavioral Sciences building has opened its doors to students
and faculty with state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities, preparing San
Diego’s students for a variety of careers across a wide range of disciplines,” said
SDCCD Chancellor Constance M. Carroll.
Two of the school’s programs, Psychology and Sociology, are among Mesa College’s top
associate degree and transfer programs. Departments now housed in the Social and Behavioral
Sciences Building include Anthropology, Geography, History, Philosophy, Political
Science, Psychology, and Sociology, as well as Communication Studies and Exercise
Science Health classes. Three other departments of the School, Black Studies, Chicano/a
Studies, and Architecture and Environmental Design, are housed at two different locations.
“It is inspiring to watch the transformation of Mesa College…as they have with the
opening of each new building, the students have taken over the Social and Behavioral
Sciences Building and made it their own,” said Mesa College President Pamela T. Luster.
“To watch the interaction between faculty and students, and to see the true educational
benefits that these facilities bring, underscores the return on investment that the
voters of San Diego have made to education and to Mesa College. Thank you.”
Danielle Taylor, student and President of the Psi Beta Psychology Honor Society, captured
the whole experience in one thought, “Just as proud parents watch their child’s first
step; it is easy to enjoy the same fulfillment in the realization of this magnificent
building, except that the first steps belong to all of these students around you,
moving forward into their futures.”
The SDCCD has made conservation and sustainability a top priority throughout its four
campuses. The District’s Green Building Policy requires that all new buildings and
major renovations obtain at least a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Mesa College
Social and Behavioral Sciences building follows in that tradition and is on track
to obtain a LEED Silver Certification and boasts a number of innovative, sustainable
features:
· A high albedo roof was installed, which reduces the heat island effect on the building
· Low-flow fixtures were installed to minimize water use
· Along with water-efficient landscaping, a high-efficiency drip irrigation system
is being used to minimize water consumption
· Materials with high recycled content were used throughout the building
· The use of low volatile organic compound (VOC) emitting materials improves indoor
air quality
· Windows were installed with sensors that shut down mechanical units when the windows
are open
· Low-E glazing maximizes natural daylighting and reduces energy required to power
artificial lighting and cooling systems
· Daylight sensors automatically dim lights in response to changing lighting conditions
· Highly efficient mechanical systems to reduce energy consumption and exceed CA Title
24 energy efficiency standards by approximately 25%
· 75% of construction materials, including waste and debris, was diverted from landfills
PROJECT TEAM:
· Architect: Joseph Wong Design Associates
· General Contractor: Swinerton Builders
· Civil Engineer: RBF Consulting
· Structural Engineer: Burkett & Wong Engineers
· Mechanical & Plumbing Engineer: MA Engineers
· Electrical Engineer: Johnson Consulting Engineers
· Landscape Architect: Marum Partnership
· Project Manager for Mesa College: Rachelle Agatha, VP/Administration
· Campus Project Manager: Diane K. Malone, AIA NCARB LEED AP, Gafcon, Inc.
· Project Manager: Mike Clark, Gafcon, Inc.
· Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment (FF&E) Project Manager: Laura Faustine, Gafcon, Inc.
The San Diego Community College District’s $1.555 billion Propositions S and N construction
bond program is providing new state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities, major
renovations, and campus wide infrastructure projects at City, Mesa and Miramar colleges
and seven Continuing Education campuses throughout San Diego. For more information,
please visithttp://public.sdccdprops-n.com/ .
For high-resolution photographs or renderings, contact Alicia Cook at (858) 875-0087
oracook@gafcon.com . Please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LfBLuL3Mtk&feature=youtu.befor b-roll.
Tags: Prop S+N, Social/Behavioral Sciences and Multicultural Studies, Grand Opening