Engel Hall Sets Gold Tone

Nursing Building Lays Framework for Sustainability on New Williams Campus

Chandler-Gilbert Community College’s Williams Campus is getting a green start with Engel Hall, a $9.1-million nursing lab/classroom building that may reach LEED gold.

By David M. Brown

Scheduled to open Nov. 28, Engel Hall and the adjacent Central Plant Building of Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Mesa are tracking LEED gold through a passive solar design and other environmentally friendly building technologies.

The 27,067-sq-ft nursing laboratory/classroom building and the 3,033-sq-ft plant occupy a 7.34-acre site on the booming Williams Campus-the site of the former Williams Air Force Base-adjacent to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Work began on the project Dec. 5.

Engel Hall features a bridge-like extension shading a pedestrian-friendly plaza for students. The upper level houses academic offices. Image courtesy Gabor Lorant Architects

Built by the Phoenix office of Minneapolis-based Adolfson & Peterson Construction from a design by Gabor Lorant Architects of Phoenix, the $9.1-million, two-story academic building includes an instructional nursing clinic, two life science laboratories, seven general classrooms, two lecture halls and faculty offices. The clinic includes a 10-bed learning resource center, simulation lab, debriefing room and storage space for files and various apparatus.

The name honors Maj. Connie Engel, a nurse at the former Air Force base who was in the first class of women chosen to train as pilots. She graduated from the program and then taught at the base before moving to Washington, D.C., where she flies corporate jets. She will be present at the building dedication.

“Instructional, faculty and student areas are configured so that collaborative learning is fostered,” says Jan Lorant, AIA, the project’s lead architect and principal of the firm his father began 45 years ago. Gabor Lorant is also providing campus master planning.

The Central Plant is on the edge of the campus’ service and maintenance yard, south of the new north parking lot. The building handles infrastructure for the north portion of the CGCC, including the existing Aviation Technology Center Building, Engel Hall and, scheduled two years out, Bridget Hall, a multitasking student center, computer commons, bookstore and academic offices building.

The building has 700 tons of chilling capacity with two chillers for redundancy. It is sized with future expansions in mind. An additional 100,000 sq ft of space is planned in the next municipal bond request.

“Engel Hall is designed to set the standard for architectural detailing to be incorporated in future buildings on the campus,” Lorant says. “Its contemporary design, modern materials and sustainable features will ensure that decades from now the building will still be a dynamic and vibrant campus presence.”

The structure features a bridge-like extension reaching out in welcome toward the campus. On the second floor are academic offices, which are accessed by an elevator, an enclosed stairwell at the far end of the bridge and an outdoor stairwell from the courtyard.

With the bridge for cover and its indigenously landscaped plazas, this shaded pedestrian-friendly area serves as both gathering/study center for the >> building as well as an amphitheater. The area frames the Superstition Mountains through the bridge and will host concerts, graduation ceremonies and trade fairs in addition to serving as a general meeting area for the campus.

Gabor Lorant and Adolfson & Peterson collaborated during the design and construction phase, analyzing overall cost, HVAC, central plant configurations, constructability of the framing systems, the steel truss system, wood products and masonry.

The two firms spent additional time with Adolfson & Peterson subs on steel submittals, glazing installation, numerous elements related to lab functions and site utilities.

“Because this was a construction-manager-at-risk project, our company began working with Gabor Lorant and the school at the design phase to provide pricing and constructability reviews early on to eliminate issues before construction started,” says John Tomasson, LEED AP, Adolfson & Peterson’s senior project manager on the project.

The college required LEED silver certification, although Lorant says he believes gold will be awarded. Engel Hall will use 30-40% less power than a typical new building, Lorant says.

Engel Hall is receiving LEED credits in all major categories, including sustainable sites (maximizing open space), water efficiency (landscaping) and optimizing energy performance (well-designed building floor plan and sealing and insulating).

The project will recycle approximately 90% of the construction waste. Even some interior finish materials are recycled.

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Other strategies include daylighting, low-water-use plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems, low-emitting and inert building finishes for reducing indoor exposure to formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds.

Sustainable materials include Prodema™, a polyphenolic resin material that has the appearance of wood and the durability of pre-finished metal; the honed-faced masonry, selected for its rich external appearance, thermal mass, and durability; and double-glazed Pilkington glass.

Cast-in-place concrete walls flank the courtyard staircase, and exposed aggregate, integrally colored concrete walkways and exposed aggregate flooring appear inside and outside the building, offering both strength and attractiveness.

“LEED credit strategy is not more difficult as long as the design team is cognizant and experienced with the design opportunities that LEED rewards,” Lorant says.

Tomasson adds “proper planning and setting goals during the design stage makes LEED projects less of an issue.”

Key Players:

Owner: Chandler-Gilbert Community College
General Contractor: Adolfson & Peterson Construction
Architect: Gabor Lorant Architects
Engineers: Engineering and Environmental Consultants; Caruso Turley Scott; ESD
Landscape Architect: Waibel & Associates
Lab Consultant: Design for Science
Subcontractors: E.F. Charles Inc.; Roma Masonry; Tri-City Mechanical; Jones Concrete Construction; Dickens Quality Demolition; Ace Asphalt of Ariz.; Torrent Resources; Stop Fire

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