Board approves construction of new campus building

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Studio 804 project to be ready for use by May

By Ben Markley

The Board of Trustees approved the construction of a new campus building at its Nov. 17 meeting.

Jay Antle, executive director of Sustainability, and the Student Sustainability Committee presented a proposal to construct a building through Studio 804, a graduate architecture program at the University of Kansas that constructs buildings focused on sustainability.

Graduate students from Studio 804 presented their building plan for the project, currently called Galileo’s Pavilion. The students said the building will be a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum building, including solar panels, solar insulation, recycled building material, and possibly a wind turbine and reflecting pool.

The project is estimated to cost no more than $700,000, with $150,000 paid by the Student Sustainability Committee and $550,000 paid out of college funds for energy capital. Antle said the building, due to low energy costs and more classroom space, will pay for itself in three and a half years.

Antle said the free labor of Studio 804 graduate students makes the building affordable.

“We get a $500 per square foot market value building for less than half that cost,” he said.

Dan Rockhill, executive director of Studio 804, said the building will have a touch screen that anyone can use to monitor the energy activity of the building.

“The idea is to reach over and flip a light switch and see the meter bounce,” Rockhill said. “That way you really gain a first-hand appreciation for energy consumption.”

Rockhill said Studio 804 will check back on Galileo’s Pavilion after construction to ensure the quality and durability of the building.

“We stand behind the buildings because it’s important to us and our reputation,” Rockhill said. “I wouldn’t dare chance our reputation.”

Studio 804 graduate students said the building is primarily inspired by the Dale Eldred’s Galileo sculpture. Bruce Hartman, executive director of the Nerman Museum, said he was working closely with Studio 804 to supervise treatment of sculpture

“We’re anxious to make sure the integrity of the sculpture is maintained,” he said. “I do think this is the kind of project Dale Eldred would embrace whole-heartedly.”

Jordan Henderson, student secretary of the Student Sustainability Committee, said the building will be a source of pride for students.

“To say as a student that I go to a community college and have a LEED Platinum building on my campus, and I can use that building as a general education classroom—I don’t know any other student who can say that,” Henderson said.

Trustee Jerry Cook said Galileo’s Pavilion would fit in with the Nerman Museum and Regnier Center as buildings that set the college apart.

“This college has a reputation, I believe, of listening to the students and the community, and is very interested in uniqueness,” Cook said.

The motion passed unanimously. The building will be finished by May and open to students next fall semester.

Contact Ben Markley, news editor, at bmarkle2@stumail.jccc.edu.

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