SAN DIEGO, CA — BNBuilders, Roesling Nakamura Terada Architects (RNT Architects), and Fullerton College recently marked the groundbreaking of the campus' upcoming $54-million Instructional Building and Central Utility Plant (CUP) Upgrade. The Instructional Building and CUP Upgrade is the community college's first new construction in 10 years, and its first ever progressive design-build project.

"It was a pleasure to participate in the design of this project in collaboration with the energetic team of the division dean, faculty, students, the campus administration, and the builders, BNB," said Ralph Roesling, FAIA, Principal at RNT Architects. "This new facility will be a very welcoming courtyard classroom building filled with natural light along with many amenities and spaces for inspired teaching and learning. Our team worked very hard to appropriately fit this building into the very unique Fullerton campus context."

The new three-story, 74,927-square-foot Instructional Building at Fullerton College will house the humanities division. The division currently occupies 43 classrooms — many in temporary facilities — scattered across the campus. The new Instructional Building includes 50 classrooms (including two computer labs), a division office, an adjunct faculty area with student conference space, 37 shared faculty offices, a 73-person conference room, two smaller conference rooms, a central courtyard, a faculty/staff lounge, male/female restrooms on each floor, six gender-inclusive restrooms, a lactation room, and elevators.

In addition, the existing central plant for the campus will be upgraded with new energy efficient systems to accommodate the new Instructional Building and future developments on the campus. The new building will complement the style of its neighboring buildings and is anticipated to open in the summer of 2021. The project was made possible by the passage of Measure J in November 2014.

"The collaboration with Fullerton College and RNT Architects has been seamless over the past two years getting this project ready for construction, including direct input from multiple departments, faculty, staff, and students on how this building needs to work," said Jamie Awford, Principal at BNBuilders. "It's very rewarding to work with such outstanding partners and to be part of helping challenge, shape, and educate the minds of future generations."