Aug 19 2014
On August 12, Swinerton Builders broke ground on South Orange County Community College District’s first design-build project.
Irvine Valley College A400 Building Breaks Ground (Photo: Business Wire)
The $9.1 million, two-story A400 building is located at Irvine Valley College (IVC). Swinerton’s experienced design-build team, which includes design architect DLR Group, expects construction to complete in 12 months, with occupancy by the college planned for fall semester 2015.
The two-story design creates a compact footprint, which will have the new 27,000 square foot building fit within the same footprint as the previous one-story A400 building (demolished on June 23, 2014), which was just over 14,000 square feet. The design of the classroom spaces will help the college best utilize state-allotted square footage, with the incorporation of the smaller classrooms to support a host of classes with enrollment caps, such as those in IVC's writing program.
This preserves the campus open space design, while providing much needed space to the classroom, lab and office inventory. The completed building will include seven 30-seat classrooms, three 40-seat classrooms, two 45-seat classrooms, an Anthropology/Geography Lab, a Writing Center, an Honors Program area, and offices. Although not to be formally certified as a LEED building, the design meets the LEED Gold standard using daylight harvesting, improved lighting, recycled materials, native plants, and a host of other sustainable building practices.
Upon completion, the building will serve as a hub for faculty and students engaged in a wide range of courses in the humanities.