This 33,000-plus square-foot building features separate laboratories for chemistry, biology, and physics, lecture rooms, a conference room, an earth science and forestry computer lab, an OSHA-approved storage and disposal facility, and various stock rooms, equipment storage rooms, study rooms, and display cabinets. Completed under budget and on schedule, the two-story facility is USGBC LEED Gold-certified with sustainability features including tubular skylights, a glazing system on windows, exterior building stone, solar hot water panels, solar photovoltaic panels, white reflective Thermoplastic Polyolefin roofing, and manual operable windows. Designed to fit the unique Yosemite-style prevalent in Sonoma, existing space was reused to limit environmental impact. With the integration of this new building, the science program now has state-of-the-art technology and equipment, and a building that meets all current health/air quality and chemical storage standards.

Design-Bid-Build, Program Management & Construction Management

• USGBC LEED Gold certified
• Winner of the CMAA Northern California Chapter Project Achievement Award, Building Category ($10 million-$50 million)
• Zero recordable injuries
• Onsite, touchscreen building metering system (Quality Attributes Software)

The new 18,253-square-foot Media/Communications Building at San Bernardino Valley College features a 200-foot communications tower for radio and television broadcasts. With more than 260 tons of steel, the tower is the tallest structure on campus. Completed under budget and on schedule, the one-story steel-frame building replaces an older building that was located on an active fault. Structurally safer, the new building is built away from the fault line and houses classrooms, computer labs, and offices, and features a broadcast teaching component that includes working television and radio studios and production stages. It also features projectors and computers that support teleconference calls and distance learning. The audio-visual studio was designed in a hexagonal shape to maintain acoustical requirements and prevent sound from bouncing. Kitchell, together with BRJ & Associates, provided program management and value engineering services for the project as part of the Measure P Bond Program.

Program Management

• Relocated the radio station while maintaining 24-hour service

As the first purposely designed four-year live-in college in the state, Barrett Honors College is modeled after similar facilities at Ivy League schools. This “campus within a campus” boasts a seven-building, 563,000 square-foot area consisting of six residential towers: three seven-story, two six-story and one four-story, plus a multi-level (one-, two- and five-story) multi-use building that includes residential, classrooms, offices and space for a student dining facility. The goal in designing and constructing this sustainable-living community was to achieve LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The project exceeded the Silver requirements and was awarded Gold instead — an honor befitting a project for one of the country’s top honors colleges. In keeping with its sustainable-living mission, Barrett Honors College has instituted a forward-thinking recycling program that has also exceeded expectations, achieving a recycling rate of 92.6 percent, or 7,432 tons.

Preconstruction
General Contracting

• LEED Gold certified
• Excellence in Masonry Architectural Awards
• National Association of Home Builders' Pillars of the Industry Award: Best Mixed Use Community Site Plan
• National Association of Home Builders' Pillars of the Industry Award: Best Student Housing Rental Apartment Community
• American School & University – Outstanding Design: Post-Secondary, Architectural Portfolio

The Lawrence and Alma DeRicco Student Services Building at San Joaquin Delta Community College is a 50,000-square-foot “gateway” to the campus, consolidating all non-instructional students services into one location. The project’s architectural design maximizes available space, includes a second-story terrace, and adds a visually appealing addition to existing landscape. Features include clerestory windows and a concrete ramp, providing disabled students with access to the second floor. Soil remediation was required due to clay soils and a problem with water retention. Kitchell represented SJDCC with vendors and coordinated with various college offices spread throughout the campus to ensure a smooth relocation to the new building. Photos provided by Mikki Piper.

Program Management
Construction Management

• Successful completion made the design-build model an option for use on future college construction projects throughout California
• Recommended using high-level drywall on the building’s interior, rather than significantly more expensive Venetian plaster
• Cost savings allowed for reconstructing and sealing the existing parking lot after discovering a moisture problem in the soil
• Project completed on time and budget

This 61,000-square-foot facility serves as an engine for developing new economic opportunities for Flagstaff and the state of Arizona by providing a home for incubator businesses in fields such as renewable energy, green products, data mining, and bio-informatics. Located 7,000 feet above sea level, the site’s altitude and relatively remote location posed challenges that required unique solutions in order for the project to meet LEED specifications. Recycling facilities had to be found in a small town, and, when not available, the team actually invented adaptive re-uses for materials such as sheetrock and wood. Materials had to withstand high UV degradation and extreme temperatures. During winter months, special techniques were necessary for pouring concrete with high fly ash content, which has a longer curing time. Working with various mock-ups and tests helped the team gain understanding of the constructability of new materials and mixes. Changing attitudes and perspectives in the construction industry, which has long tolerated waste, was another challenge. Kitchell worked with subcontractors to help them grasp what LEED meant to their work and conducted seminars for the subcontractors to acquaint them with the requirements and process.

Construction Manager at Risk

• LEED Platinum certification
• Southwest Contractor Best of 2007, Public Green Building Project & Higher Education Project
• American Concrete Institute, Architectural Merit and Sustainable Concrete Construction
• Real Estate & Construction Review Gold Medal Building Award
• International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories and R&D Magazine Go Beyond Award for New Construction
• AIA Sustainability Award