CYPRESS, Calif. — Sundt Construction, Inc. recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for Cypress College’s new Science, Engineering and Math (SEM) Building.

The new $80 million SEM building will replace the current outdated structure with a new complex that includes 22 classrooms, 25 laboratories, faculty offices, support spaces and a highly advanced, 100-seat domed immersive digital classroom.

When completed, the 106,023-square-foot facility will be the first new instructional space to open on the campus since 1976 and the first new building since 2007.

“We have a proven track record working with community colleges,” said Robert Stokes, vice president and Irvine regional director for Sundt’s Building Group, California District. “Education is essential to our community’s prosperity and being a part of this community college project is something we are very proud of.”

On Tuesday, Jan. 22, the NOCCCD Board of Trustees awarded a construction bid to Sundt Companies, Inc. for the construction phase services of the project.

The new SEM building is the first project to break ground under North Orange County Community College District’s $574 million Measure J program, passed by voters in November 2014.

Cypress College’s SEM division contains seven programs, including: biology, chemistry, engineering, geology, mathematics, physical science, and physics. The division currently offers 289 course sections to 8,287 students.

“Cypress College has served the North Orange County students and surrounding communities for over 52 years, and we are thrilled to start construction on this beautiful new addition to our college,” said Cypress College President Dr. JoAnna Schilling. “We take pride in offering exemplary educational programs in science, engineering and math, and are proud to be contributing to the future careers of our students and the local businesses that employ our students.”

The groundbreaking celebration included representatives from Cypress College, North Orange County Community College District, Sundt, LPA Inc., MAAS and Porter Consulting LLC. The new building is slated to open in time for fall semester 2021.

The post Cypress College Breaks Ground on $80M SEM Building appeared first on School Construction News.

Two, four-story residence halls will make up the 158,000-square-foot Upper Division Housing project, which will be located adjacent to the university’s existing tennis courts and recreation field, according to a statement. When completed in January 2018, the new student halls will welcome juniors, seniors, and graduate and professional students in apartment-style housing. The complex will feature indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, including a communal kitchen, community and study spaces, and a workout facility. Its exterior will be built in contemporary collegiate Gothic style with brick and other materials found on similar buildings across campus.

The project marks the first phase of a four-phase housing master plan that will actually only add 200 beds to the campus, as some buildings previously used for housing will be repurposed into office space and other uses. It is the first new residential construction project at the university since the Monagan and Chan Family Halls were completed in 2002.

The housing project will bring the university’s housing facilities into the 21st century with the modern amenities students demand such as Wi-Fi access and the infrastructure to support multiple electronic devices, said Torry Brouillard-Bruce, the university’s executive director of residential life and housing, in a statement.

Birmingham, Ala.-based Capstone Development Partners will directly oversee construction of the project. Locally based Mogavero Architects is serving as the architect, Sundt Construction, also of Sacramento, will serve as the general contractor.

The post University of the Pacific Embarks on Housing Master Plan appeared first on School Construction News.

The 245,000-square-foot copper building is the latest addition to the 15-year-old Phoenix Biomedical Campus (PBC), which brings bioresearch and education to the downtown area. BSPB will be the latest facility to do that, as researchers begin to move into the building’s fifth and sixth floors. A joint venture between Sundt Construction and DPR Construction (with offices throughout Arizona) will continue to build out the 10^th floor, which was originally designed as shell space. Los Angeles-based CO Architects and locally based Ayres Saint Gross designed the 10-story facility.

“This building will foster collaborations with scientists that will lead to more cures, better treatments and bring more federal and private dollars to Arizona,” said University of Arizona President Ann Weaver Hart in a statement at last year’s topping out ceremony.

The Center for Applied Nanoscience and Biomedicine will be headquartered in the building, according to Sundt’s website. Researchers in that department have been involved in major discoveries such as the Rapid DNA test, which detects early-stage bacterial infections.

“Completion of this Biomedical Sciences building will allow the University of Arizona to pursue expanded partnerships with industry that we hope will lead to groundbreaking discoveries in the areas of neuroscience, cardiovascular and thoracic science,” said Hart in a statement.

The Arizona Board of Regents approved funding for the $136 million BSPB in 2014 using Stimulus Plan for Economic and Educational Development bonds. Construction on the facility is expected to conclude in about a year.

The building is the seventh development in the expansion of the downtown PBC and expanding academic medical center built by DPR Construction. In 2012, the adjacent Health Sciences Education Building opened, housing health education for the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University.

The post University of Arizona Continues Work on Biomedical Building appeared first on School Construction News.