By Sondra Rotty, USGBC-Missouri
Gateway Chapter Education Committee
Expanding Minds, Changing Lives.” This is the inspiring motto of Saint Louis Community College (STLCC). While driving east on Highway 40 with Forest Park to your left and the Gateway Arch in front of you, a building has risen out of the ground on the right, transforming the campus of St. Louis Community College at Forest Park. This building is visible to a large part of the community, nestled in the Cheltenham neighborhood on the old Highland Amusement Park site, and provides a pinnacle opportunity to connect the College’s motto with the public. The decision to approach the design and construction of the building using sustainable principles and practices will instill values, whether implicitly or explicitly, in the community, faculty, staff and students passing by or learning in this new building.
The new facility will serve as the Center for Nursing and Health Sciences and will provide 96,000 square feet of space over four stories to house dental clinics, modern laboratories and classrooms, innovative teaching spaces, and flexible space. The floor plan and amenities lends itself to be conducive to cross-disciplinary collaboration and experiential learning opportunities. According to the College, the space will attend to approximately 900 students in nursing and health science professions each year with plenty of room to grow. The design team (KAI) carefully integrated the old with the new, referencing the existing buildings in masonry detail, while incorporating curtainwall, storefront, metal, and technology to tie past to present. The design capitalizes on surrounding density and diverse uses, water use reduction, optimization of energy performance, and open space, among other items. The construction focus is on materials and resources and indoor environmental quality.
The Center for Nursing and Health Sciences Project is pursuing Certification under LEED v4 for BD+C: New Construction and Major Renovation. A few of the highlighted credits being awarded as a result of the design review are Sensitive Land Protection, Green Vehicles, Open Space, Rainwater Management, Heat Island Reduction, Light Pollution Reduction, Water and Energy Metering. Additionally, a few of the highlighted credits being pursued under construction are Building Product Disclosure and Optimization, Construction and Demolition Waste Management, Low-Emitting Materials, and Indoor Air Quality.
Continuing education facilities are where the world’s future leaders are being taught, and this facility is one of which the stakeholders can be proud for years to come.
The Center will be the feature of the USGBC-Missouri Gateway Chapter’s Annual Green Building Tour. Please join us from 5:30-7:30 for a networking opportunity and a tour of the building at 5600 Oakland Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110.
For more information or to register for the event, please visit http://www.usgbc-mogateway.org/calendar.