An Innovative Dedication
Indian River State College
Brown Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
April 2012
“Energizing the Economy” was the theme as Indian River State College students, faculty and the community dedicated the new Brown Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on April 11, 2012 in Ft. Pierce, Florida.
The College’s first “green” building, the 65,000 sf facility is outfitted with three wind turbines, a 14kW roof mounted thin film solar array, and a 37kW ground mounted solar array, in combination generating nearly 30% of the power consumed by the building while simultaneously being used for the College’s alternative energy technologies education program. The $21.5 million Center was funded through a combination of state funding, private donations to the College’s foundation, and a federal grant. The building was designed to be a LEED Silver certified building, but through the creative and aggressive administration of the LEED process by project architect Florida Architects, LEED consultant Green Building Services, and H. J. High the project is pursuing a LEED Gold certification.
The multi-purpose Center is equipped with various facilities to prepare students for careers in emerging technologies since instruction in alternative energies is at the core of the Center’s program. The H. J. High Construction Sustainable Building Design Lab provides students a lab where they will learn to design and build energy efficient houses and includes a full scale “net zero” house which can be rolled out of the building to be tested under a variety of environmental conditions. A multitude of services and facilities are provided to entrepreneurs at the Center’s Innovation Incubator. The facility includes the highly successful Power Plant Technology Institute where students learn in a simulated environment that is consistent with the protocols and procedures used in nuclear power industry. Students are also able to learn about architectural design, laser and light technologies, or explore nanotechnology, including biomedical and chemistry applications.
Construction of the facility began in March 2008 with demolition of the College’s former maintenance facility (which had been severely damaged in the 2004 hurricanes) and former adult education complex. Vibro-flotation placement of 420 stone columns overcame the site’s poor subsurface conditions before foundations began. The building’s structure is made up of 94 tilt panels 8” or 10” thick with thin brick inlays and intricate reveals, and accented with aluminum composite panel architectural features. The barrel vault standing seam roof is installed over rolled steel joists. The project’s interior finishes are designed to provide a high-tech aesthetic and include aluminum composite panels, laminated resin panels, stainless steel rails and accents, custom sculpted acoustical wall panels, custom designed solid vinyl flooring, a wide variety of ceiling materials and designs, and LED light fixtures.
H. J. High’s project team includes Ken Tucker, senior project superintendent (structure, finishes, site completion), Dave Long, project superintendent (site preparation, structure), Darrell McClellan, assistant project superintendent, Michael Lyell, project manager, Jessica Fratrik, project assistant, Shauna Bowling, accounting manager, and Robin Perri, accounting clerk. H. J. High is proud to have been selected to build this ground breaking facility for Indian River State College and thankful for our 20 year history of successful projects with this outstanding client.
Substantial Completion has been achieved!
Indian River State College
Brown Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
January 2012
All finishes are now in place and landscaping is in. The Owner has installed their furniture and furnishings. Faculty and students have moved into the buildings with classes started on January 5, 2012. Minor punch list items are currently being addressed by H. J. High and our subcontractors. Late changes by the Owner, such as Solar Fields, Wind Turbines and Charging Stations are currently under construction and/or are on order. H. J. High is currently working with the mechanical contractor and the commissioning agent who was hired by IRSC to work through the commissioning requirements that is required by LEED. Currently all submissions for the LEED portion of the project are being assembled and prepared for submission to LEED. This project will attempt the LEED Silver designation. The project closeout process has started, Owner training is underway and final turnover manuals/as-built drawings are being compiled. Per IRSC, the dedication ceremony will be held in Spring 2012.
Race to the Finish!
Indian River State College
Brown Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
October 2011
We are down to the final stretch. As we wrap up the “debris” causing activities such as drywall finishing, floor prep and dropping of ceiling tiles we are allowed to remove the temporary air conditioning units from the 3 story side of the building. Once the temporary air is removed, the permanent AC units for that individual floor are started and continually running. The glass & glazing contractor is right behind our temporary air vendor closing up the windows and making sure we have a sealed building. The temporary air requirement was mandated by IRSC as well as helping with achieving extra LEED credits for this project.
Final finishes, such as flooring and final painting has taken over the 3 story side of the building and will be moving to the 2 story side of the building. Our door and hardware subcontractor is closely following the flooring contractor. Owner furniture is set to deliver this month for the 3 story side. The 2 story side is set to deliver in mid November. Any last minute Owner/Architect changes are being addressed as quickly as they are received in order for the building to be ready when IRSC moves in. Third Floor punch lists have been issued to the contractor by H. J. High. The architect is set to come out next week to start their punch list for Plan A (3 story side).
The exterior of the building is wrapping up just as quickly as the interior. Planters are complete. Sidewalks have started on the north side of the building and will be placed working counterclockwise around the building. The asphalt paving is complete. The parking area turf block pavers will be complete by mid October, with striping and site signage to follow. All the main trees have been installed in the parking area. Irrigation system around the parking area is complete. The landscaping contractor is currently working on the ground cover and shrubbery. Our plan is to turn over the parking area to the school for their overflow parking by mid October.
Per IRSC, Florida Power and Light will be ready by Mid-October to start the construction of the Flow Loop Simulator that will be installed in the Flow Loop Room on the Plan B side.
It’s Not Easy Being Green
June 2011
Especially in Florida’s summer heatwave! As this is a LEED Project, we will not be turning on the building’s A/C units until the end of the project. To counter this, we brought in a temporary air company to help dehumidify the building. Currently the three-story side (Plan A) has temporary air. The corridors that adjoin Plan A and Plan B sides have temporary barriers between them to help with the dehumidification of Plan A only.
The big push for us now is getting all the walls ready for paint and ceiling grid – the walls and ceilings are almost completely framed and drywall is hung in most areas. The ceiling grid process has started on the 2nd and 3rd floors on Plan A. The first floor ceiling grid will be installed by the end of June while light fixtures and ceiling grid trim has also started. As for the restrooms – the ceramic tile in the Plan A restrooms is complete on the 2nd and 3rd floors leaving the 1st floor to be complete by month’s end. The Plan A Millwork will be brought in this month as well.
Now for the outside! On the exterior, the final curtainwall system on the east side of the building is now framed and the monumental concrete stair on the south side of the building is now in place. We continue to clean and repair the exterior brick in anticipation of the building paint and brick sealing that will start this month.
The Shape We’re In
May 2011
Now that the structure of the new Brown Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship building is complete, the next big push is to frame the walls, drywall the ceilings and get ready for finishes. As this work progresses, the character of the building is really starting to take shape – and it’s all about the “curves”, a feature that the architect is strongly emphasizing on this project. Everywhere you look inside and outside of the building, the various sizes and configurations of the curves are becoming more prominent.
Another cool feature coming to shape is the large atrium that opens up to a clerestory on the curved roof. Currently, there is a massive scaffolding system in place inside the building which allows the drywall subcontractor access to this large wonderful space.
A Building With Incentive
March 2011
Currently under construction is IRSC’s new 65,000 sf alternative energy center. With state and national incentives to convert renewable energy sources, the green industry offers a wide range of attractive business opportunities. To assist entrepreneurs in this and other emerging fields such as nanotechnology, photonics and robotics, H. J. High is constructing the Brown Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (BCIE) on the Main Campus. (more…)