In many counties across America, the local junior college provides an important step into adulthood. This is true for San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC).
This year, the school and its 17,000 students are celebrating its 100th anniversary and SBVC has begun construction on a Student Services building that will serve as the school's front door.
Located along busy Mt. Vernon Road in San Bernardino, the site was formerly a liberal arts building. The college hired local builders McCarthy Building Cos. to demolish the old building and build the new structure.
McCarthy Building Cos. photo
The new three-story building will house counseling offices, health and wellness services, enrollment activities, tutoring and collaboration spaces and a veteran's center.
The project's cost is approximately $100 million.
McCarthy has completed the demolition and grading of the site and laid the foundation for the new building. Of course, the building is designed in accordance with the state's seismic requirements. The construction team is using geopiers to provide extra stability for the foundation.
This approach, also called rammed aggregate pier technology, uses rammed energy to densely compact stone and gravel to increase the strength of the surrounding soils. This process enables the soils to bear greater weight and maintain firmness.
The construction team used some 500 geopiers for the building. Planners expect to top out the concrete frame building in March, with the building ready for students by the spring of 2027.
Sarah Carr, vice president, project executive of McCarthy, is overseeing the project. She expects to have 75-100 workers on the job each day, with 50 percent of the workers hired locally.
McCarthy Building Cos. photo
The team is pouring the second elevated deck and using a tower crane, forklifts and various other lifts to deliver construction materials to the site.
"The college is focused on sustainability, and we are targeting LEED Platinum for our environmental focus," Carr said. "We will be installing solar panels on the roof as part of that effort."
The exterior finish is a combination of stucco, fiber cement, vinyl/PVC, brick, metal panels and glass. A combination of polished concrete with an epoxy coating ceramic and carpet tiles will cover the interior flooring.
Safety is an important part of the planning and execution for the job.
"The site is bordered by a busy street on one side and surrounded by students moving around and going to classes," Carr said. "We have gates and fencing to keep passersby away from the work and flaggers to help control traffic. The college has placed banners around campus as well to keep students and faculty informed about the construction. Campus police are also on hand to keep the worksite safe."
Excavation
McCarthy Building Cos. photo
The construction team used various types of excavators for the demolition and did crushing onsite before hauling materials for recycling. Workers used bulldozers, motor graders and articulated trucks for grading and hauling. The team will be using a tower crane for the work. Concrete pumping trucks will continue their work as the building takes shape.
The company also is using drones to document the daily progress of the work and for safety and quality control.
Workers have moved 8.5 million lbs. of demolished materials, and 94 percent of it was recycled. Recycling material included 7.2 million lbs. of concrete, which was 100 percent recycled during the demolition. The team will use 10,913 cu. yds. of concrete, 1,600 tons of rebar and 150 tons of steel for the project.
"The Student Services Building is a transformative project for our campus," said Farrah Farzaneh, executive director, facilities planning, sustainability and construction, San Bernardino Community College District. "McCarthy's design-build approach has fostered a true partnership. Their focus on collaboration, sustainability and efficiency has allowed us to advance a facility that will serve as a modern hub for student success and equity." CEG
