Not many had even known a construction site existed. The Health Sciences & Advanced Manufacturing Classroom Complex is right on the opposite side of the map from the entrance. The three-story towering piece shall fit perfectly with the red-brick walls of SCC, a subtle but significant upgrade to our historical campus. The Earth Week Tour conducted on April 18, provided a sneak peek to the new icon coming this Fall quarter 2023.

The Health Sciences & Advance Manufacturing Classroom Complex (HSAMCC), also known as Allied Health, has earned a LEED Silver certificate thus, is a green building. These LEED buildings are funded by the state. The state funded roughly 43 million dollars into this project, in the intention to solidify the nature connection of SCC to the student life within this new facility.

Covering over 51,600 gross square feet, HSAMCC will host a variety of science classes from advanced manufacturing, biology, robotics, maker lab, mechatronics, biomanufacturing, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, medical lab technology (MLT) lab, clinical lab, processing lab, phlebotomy, organic chemistry, general chemistry. These rooms would co-exist with several faculty suites related to the HSAMCC divisions.

The tour also highlighted the space provided for vending machines, an additional Avanti Market, conference rooms, general classrooms, study rooms, bathrooms, lounge areas, two copy rooms, two staircases and an elevator. Access points are available from both the north and south of the campus as well as several parking spaces right beside the HSAMCC.

The design of HSAMCC has spanned many years. According to SCC’s Director of Capital Projects, Kimberlee Clark, the goal of this facility had been carefully planned there by the previous administration. The previous SCC president, Cheryl Roberts and an architect company called Mithun, designed HSAMCC in spring of 2018. The project plan had gone into depth on the requirements this campus needs. “Each one of our classrooms is a certain square footage to accommodate a certain number of students,” Clark explained. The construction of the HSAMCC is a much needed project given the age of these buildings are past their intended 50-year life.

According to Clark, construction started in July of 2021 but was delayed by the concrete strike of 2022 and the two winters of 2021 and 2022. Nevertheless, the amazing team from both the construction company Forma and SCC stayed on track to the planned grand opening in fall 2023.

This facility is made in the firm belief that students of future generations shall continue to co-exist within the facility. The tours held by ASG’s Sustainable Committee alongside Clark, are open to students. “Being able to see the building come to life and watch it grow on campus as you are going through your programs, it is actually pretty impressive for me to share that with everybody as well as have students be a part of it,” said Clark.

It is a rare opportunity to witness the bare bones of a facility on campus. The tour was also a helpful activity for the faculty working in SCC’s various departments, it helps them visualize how they would change up their working environment after getting an upgrade. The tour is not to be taken lightly as visitors are required to use personal protective equipment before they even go near the sandy site.

“I think it’s coming along; they did a great job showing us around!” mentioned Jenna Anderson, a faculty member from International Admissions. “The most interesting part for me is when we talked about the north side of the building and why some patches on the walls were still open, it turns out that is because they are still moving stuff into the building. The patches left unsealed would be used to carry desks and large office equipment to the higher levels with construction machines instead of carrying them through the staircases.”

Another faculty member, Linda Du, mentioned how she had watched the virtual tour on YouTube last year. “Coming to the tour today it looks even better because I get to see the natural lights. It’s very well planned.”

Students should keep a lookout for other tours like this. The Science Technology Engineering Art and Math (STEAM) building could hold similar tours in the future. Although Clark does note it will take some time before such a thing could happen, “You have to wait until the building is built in a certain stage to make sure that people are safe,” explained Clark.