HMC Architects had the honor to tour the ongoing progress of the construction of the new Technical Education Project at San Bernardino Valley College with the San Bernardino Community College District Board of Trustees, the district’s facilities management team, and our construction partners. During the tour we showcased our work to the board, highlighted how we are carrying through the board’s goals, and got an up-close look at construction progress.

San Bernardino Valley College is setting out to create a high-performance Technical Education Facility to launch its net-zero energy pilot program. Envisioned as a high-tech circuit, the 114,897 SF project sits on 3.92 acres and serves to connect department programs, campus, industry, and community, and is envisioned to serve as a Living Lab, maximizing efficiency and environmental stewardship in a demonstrative way. The project will host comprehensive EV automotive, electronics, machining, HVAC&R, water tech, and emerging tech programs, supported by labs, lecture halls, and gathering spaces. The automotive labs feature a set of five thermal chimneys that will work in conjunction with the project’s high velocity-low speed fans and bi-fold doors to enhance thermal comfort within the large lab spaces. The PV deck located off the electronics and flex labs, provides students with hands-on training on how to assemble, disassemble and analyze energy systems or a working photovoltaic system. Numerous ‘sticky spaces’ carved out around the building will provide students with physical and AV support outside of classrooms for social, group work, and cross-disciplinary exposure. The project is also targeting LEED Platinum Certification. With an all-electric building mechanical system, thermal chimneys and a PV support structure that will provide nearly 70 percent of the building’s anticipated energy use, the Technical Education Building anticipates a 64 percent energy savings over T24 requirements.

The project is targeting completion at the end of 2024 and has already won several prestigious industry awards including USGBC-LA and AIAIC Awards of Honor and the  2020 California Higher Education Sustainability Conference Best-practice Award for Overall Sustainable Design, New Construction, and Major Renovations.