Construction of the new building began in November 2010, and it features many classrooms and facilities that should improve the educational experience of those who attend.
It can be found at 273 E. Old West Highway.
The building was designed by Phoenixbased architecture firm Richard and Bauer Architecture and constructed by Adolfson and Peterson Construction, a general contractor that works primarily in higher education, said Adolfson and Peterson project manager John Tomasson.
Total project costs were about $21 million, Mr. Tomasson said.
“It’s a very unique building with its copper roof and interior. It required a lot of coordination between the teams involved because it’s not a simple building,” he said. “It’s more or less a very advanced building.”
According to Mr. Tomasson, the new building’s floor plan will help students register for classes.
“ The new building’s fl oor plan is really open and allows for student services and the library up front. It’s not a totally unique floor plan, but you don’t see it that often,” he said.
Along with the new building, many of the older structures on the campus saw renovations during the new building’s construction, and some of the roads in the area needed to be moved.
The funding was taken from a nearly $100 million bond package that was passed in 2008.
“It was a huge undertaking working on this project. We needed to move Broadway Road, which ran through the campus, and renovate the old buildings,” said Jim Richard, principal designer for Richard and Bauer Architecture. “One of the things made clear when they passed the bond in 2008 was that the community wouldn’t stand for any wasted resources, so a large part of the effort went into revitalizing the property’s existing buildings.”
Originally, the plan was to complete the new building and renovate the old ones afterward, aiming to open in December 2012, but after reviewing the costs, it was determined that the college could save money by doing both project phases at the same time, Mr. DiCamillo said.
“It’s a way better use of the space than we had. Those buildings were never designed to be used for higher education, but the construction crews had a chance to knock it out this summer and save some money,” Mr. DiCamillo said. “ There is still some work to be done, but the building is open, and we are using it.”
This remaining work includes Internet and network wiring, reconfiguration of interior walls and classroom space, and other infrastructure.
In addition, the construction plans required a new centralized air-conditioning complex to be built near the north side of campus, which was recently completed.
Once it is complete, the school will hold a formal dedication for the new building in November, Mr. DiCamillo said.
The new building is being separated into three different areas, Mr. DiCamillo said.
In the southern portion will be Area A. Devoted mostly to science classrooms, the area includes five science lab classrooms, three general purpose classrooms and one tiered lecture hall.
This area also includes support space for the science classrooms and the mechanical and electrical services for the building.
This is the largest area at 12,129 square feet.
At 5,756 square feet, Area B will be the bridge that ties the new building together, Mr. DiCamillo said.
It consists of 18 defined spaces including eight faculty offices, a bookstore, and two community classrooms.
Area C will be the core of the student commons as the home of a lounge, computer commons, reading room, and administrative services. It will also feature support areas including a food service café bringing the area to 11,231 square feet.
In order to celebrate the new building and spur registrations, staff at the Superstition Mountain Campus will be holding a welcome week and family movie, Monday through Friday, Aug. 20-31.
Hoping to use the time as a chance to engage with the community, the campus will hold the 10-day event free to all CAC students, faculty and staff, beginning with tours of the newly renovated campus on Aug. 20.
From 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Aug. 22, a welcome barbecue was to be held in the campus courtyard as part of the week followed by an outdoor viewing of the family movie “Big Miracle” at 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 30 at the campus’s amphitheater, Mr. Di-Camillo said.
San Tan Valley CAC site
Besides the new building in Apache Junction, Central Arizona College is planning to build or improve other facilities.
“ What’s going on at Superstition Mountain is just a part of what we are trying to accomplish. Our campuses in Maricopa [city] and San Tan Valley are under construction as we speak.” Mr. Di-Camillo said.
The San Tan Valley Campus is located at 2474 E. Hunt Highway.
Central Arizona College is one of the few higher education institutions operating in the unincorporated community known as San Tan Valley, according to a press release.
At a May 15 Pinal County Community College Disatrict Governing Board Meeting, the college announced the fi rst phase of its plan to improve the San Tan Valley campus.
The planned outlined described new facilities totaling 74,250 square feet spread over four buildings, including a 3,750-square foot central air-conditioning plant located on the north side of Bella Vista Road roughly two miles east of Hunt Highway.
The campus will border Schnepf Road to the east and the Union Pacific Railroad to the west. Until construction begins, the land will be used for agriculture.
The plan described the educational area as four buildings featuring 10 classrooms, including two computer labs and four science labs for biology, chemistry and physics classes.
The $100 million bond that passed in 2008 will help pay for this project.
“ The campus environment will focus on creating a community of active learners in laboratory spaces since the new learning paradigm emphasizes practicing curriculum content,” Dr. Doris Helmich, the interim president of Central Arizona College, said in a press release.
The largest of the four structures will be the 26,300 square foot Building D. This facility will house art and dance studios, classrooms, labs and offices.
Building C will be 25,800 square feet and will house CAC’s library, student center, learning resource center and classrooms.
At 9,700 square feet, Building B will be the site for Student Services and admin-istration.
Building A will consist of community and multi-purpose spaces covering 8,700 square feet.
Many different types of classes and education programs will be offered at the new building in San Tan Valley, but the focus will be on health careers like the Certifi ed Nursing Assistant program, Mr. DiCamillo said.
Central Arizona College is hoping to break ground in San Tan Valley before the end of 2012.
More than 12,000 students attended the college in 2008.
To contact the Superstition Mountain Campus please call 480-677-7700.
The San Tan Valley Center can be reached at 480-677-7825 or 520-494-6725.
By Alexander Foote
