July 2008 marked the completion of Mesa Community College’s 62,000 square foot Physical Sciences Building. The project, which contains labs, classrooms, support spaces, offices and a planetarium, was finished under budget and ahead of schedule.

The $16 million facility is only the second project across 10 Maricopa County Community College District campuses to receive LEED Certification. MCC is a perfect example of how eco-friendly facilities can be comparable to the cost of standard construction. The MCC Physical Sciences Building had tight budget constraints to begin with. In fact, pursuing LEED certification was not even initially slated. However, the design by SmithGroup was inherently sustainable, thereby eliminating problems at the end of the design development phase when funds for the application and certification were obtained.

Many elements contribute to MCC’s Gold Certification, including:

• Strategic partnering in which a local utility company donated photovoltaic panels to power the planetarium and provide shade to an Astronomy Plaza (an outdoor study area).
• Graphic displays throughout the building, which allows students to see the building as a “living entity.” Each display shows students the up-to-date water and energy consumption.
• A detailed analysis study which ensured proper shading for all exposed glass without sacrificing natural lighting or outdoor views.
• Keeping components related to the HVAC system free of dust and contaminants. The ends of the ducts were shrink-wrapped until they were installed. This applied to “open” ends of the ducts as well. The ends were shrink-wrapped until occupancy.
• Filtration in the HVAC system is MERV 8 (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value).

More Information About the Project

Physical Science Building tour during construction