Campus Green Builder

Sabine Hall (Science Building)
Functions: Laboratories, offices, gathering and conference

Completion: Summer 2009

LEED^® Rating Version: LEED^® NC 2.2

Certification: Awaiting LEED^® Platinum

Approximate Built-up Area: 124,000 sq.ft.

The new science building, Sabine Hall, will replace the previous Sabine Hall building and will be home to the School of Engineering and Technology, Sciences, Photography, Trio Programs and other health related courses. This new Science Building/Infrastructure project, with a construction budget of approximately $41,900,000, is planned to be 115,000 square feet in size.¹ Janet James, associate dean of Special Programs and executive assistant to President Mittlestet, explained some basic changes that will be made to help accommodate faculty, students and staff. The new science building is now named Sabine Hall and the old Sabine building is renamed Wichita Hall.

The changes that are being made are to accommodate the Richland community by making time more manageable and to coordinate each program of study into arranged academic halls. The building will house the existing Follett Bookstore to which a cyber café will be added. One computer lab will be located in the new science building for drop-in science students. Also, two conference rooms were added to make more space for meetings and conducing business. Director of Facilities Services, Eddie Hueston said, "We are going to double the size of the central heating and air conditioning plant located in Pecos Hall."²

The facility will be home to the Richland College Bookstore as well as the Health and Science Placement Center programs. The new facility will include new labs, classrooms, offices, and student study areas to support these programs. This project will also include the construction of a new coffee shop, bookstore, upgrades and improvements to Richland's mechanical infrastructure. Please note this project includes Science Building, Infrastructure, and expanded parking projects.

College administrators, architects, and contractors are seeking Platinum status under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) Green Building Rating System for this building. Aside from the many environmentally friendly features and processes implemented in the design and construction of this building, there is also a plan to install three small blade wind turbines outside the building as a demonstration project for renewable energy technology. The purpose of the wind turbines will be to assist in electricity generation for one of the classrooms; however, the primary function is to serve as a teaching tool for students and a visual reminder of the building’s addition to the campus infrastructure.

In the spirit of sustainability, which has been the core foundation of the institution throughout the years, this new concrete structure embodies many low impact, high performance and energy efficient features. The following are a few of such features that underscore the project team’s commitment to green building principles:

• Low or no-VOC materials are used throughout the building.
• Approximately 95% of the waste material has been diverted from landfills during the construction of this project.
• Recycled steel and concrete with 50% fly-ash content were used as primary building materials.
• Green housekeeping, which is already employed on the campus, is part of the maintenance plan following the completion of the building.
• Also, the building has been designed to harvest natural light and has lighting sensors for optimization of lighting-related loads.

¹ Dallas County Community College District. "Project Detail." Retrieved October 10, 2009.
² Richland Chronicle. "New science building weeks behind schedule." Retrieved May15, 2009.