LBCC’s newly rebuilt M building on the Liberal Arts Campus is set to open for staff and faculty in August, featuring a mixture of classrooms, offices, and student service centers.
The new building, which replaces both the M and now demolished N buildings, will house academic departments, such as Language Arts and Computer and Office Studies, as well as student services, such as Disabled Students Programs and Services and the Writing and Reading Success Center.
At 81,970 square feet, the M building will house 25 classrooms, 11 labs, 18 conference rooms and 61 offices.
The project is the first state-funded, design-build project in the California Community College system, with a total budget of $77,255,042, funded by the state and Measures E and LB.
Construction of the project began February 2020 and was completed February 2022. The project was designed by HPI Architecture, constructed by C.W. Driver and managed by the Cordoba Corporation, who have managed a number of previous building projects for LBCC.
“The design process is a lengthy process. We do multiple meetings with the core team, including the president and vice presidents,” said Abdul Kunbargi, senior construction manager for Cordoba.
“They make the major decisions (about designs). Then we meet with the end users, (such as) the different department heads that will be residing in the building, and ask them for what requirements there are.”
One of the end user requests that was fulfilled by the building design is a specially installed vent that will pump out fumes produced by 3D printers used by COS classes.
Another unique feature of the building is the lockdown system. Every classroom and office features a prominent red button housed in a yellow case that, when pressed, will lock every room in the building and prevent entry by everyone except law enforcement or campus security.
“One push of the button, it locks the building down, god forbid an active shooter or something like that,” said Kunbargi. “(People) can go out but it doesn’t allow people to come in.”
This feature was requested specifically by the school.
Faculty and staff will also use keycards to access rooms and classrooms they are assigned to rather than the keycode pads seen in other buildings on the campus.
Employees can expect to move into their new quarters at the end of August, while students will start classes there in fall 2022.