South Orange County CCD – Saddleback College, Health Sciences/District Office Building

This 75,000 SF, three-story building houses both the Health Sciences Department, District offices and a first floor public meeting room. The first two stories house the Nursing School and include both classrooms and training rooms for paramedic and nursing students. District offices are located on the third floor. The exterior combines a glass curtainwall, metal stud, plaster and clay tile cladding system that originated in Germany. Sustainable elements such as daylighting, zoning of mechanical systems, shading devices and natural ventilation are integrated into the building. This is a complex laboratory research/classroom building that required 28 individual bid packages. Issues addressed include managing unforeseen field conditions, tracking multiple functions and phases, combining assisted natural ventilation and HVAC systems designed for laboratory use, and strict noise and vibration controls.