C.W. Driver, a premier builder serving California since 1919 and an AGC of California member, has completed construction on the new 38,902-sq-ft Student Services and Academic Building at Moreno Valley College in Riverside County. The $13 million, three-story facility will provide the student body of 7,000 with additional space for lectures, class preparation and study. Construction on the building began in April 2012 and was completed in November 2013.

Part of C.W. Driver’s scope of work on this project included building around existing utilities within the footprint of the facility. Because campus fiber optic lines are running through the site, C.W. Driver worked with various project consultants to ensure campus systems would not be interrupted. C.W. Driver was also tasked with upgrading the campus central plant by adding a new heating and cooling system to accommodate the new facility.

 "Building around existing utilities presents a unique set of challenges," said Jacob Cox, project manager with C.W. Driver. "Collaborating with the structural and civil engineers, we were able to revise the footing design to align with the existing utilities. The project team also worked closely with campus officials to ensure construction would not interfere with the comfort of campus life. We followed a particularly fast-paced schedule during school breaks in order to finish the work that would be potentially disruptive to students and faculty."

Located on the northwest corner of campus, the building is encased with a 35-ft radius glass curtain wall to provide sweeping views of the San Bernardino Mountains and surrounding valleys. Additionally, the building includes multi-purpose rooms, lecture halls, study areas and a Coffee Bar refreshment center. A large assembly room will feature 25 screen televisions with speakers for live event broadcasting. The new facility requires card access and is secured by 19 cameras to increase student safety.

Joining Cox on the project team is Gregg Riddle, project executive; Robert Estrella, assistant project manager; Ruben Zuniga, superintendent;  Mark Vondran, senior estimator; and Leo Ramirez, project planner. Other project consultants include KCT Consultants, civil engineering; and TMAD Taylor & Gaines, structural engineering. Designed by DLR Group WWCOT Architects, the project is targeting LEED® Silver certification.

The Moreno Valley College Student Services and Academic building joins a number of C.W. Driver-sustainable education projects including Valley Performing Arts Center at California State University Northridge, and the student recreation centers at California State University Fullerton, California State University Northridge and California State University Long Beach, which have all achieved LEED® Gold certification.