Biola University Breaks Ground on New Science Building

LA MIRADA, Calif. — Construction broke ground on the new 91,000-square-foot Alton and Lydia Lim Center for Science, Technology and Health at Biola University in La Mirada on March 22. The $45 million, three-story building will serve as a teaching, research and laboratory facility for the university’s School of Science Technology and Health.

Pasadena, Calif.-headquartered C.W. Driver is serving as the construction manager on the project, which is tentatively scheduled for completion in fall 2017. Gensler, with offices in Los Angeles, is the architect.

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with Biola University and bring a state-of-the-art learning facility to their next generation of students,” said Tom Jones, project executive at C.W. Driver in Los Angeles, in a statement. “We worked closely with university leadership and Gensler to evaluate constructability improvement opportunities, coordination items and each building system to maximize the value this project will bring to Biola’s students and faculty.”

The new building will feature flexible workspaces to allow the school to expand as science, technology and teaching methods change over time. With only three general-use classrooms, the majority of the space will consist of chemistry, physics, engineering and nursing labs, and study areas that help promote interdisciplinary learning and collaboration through active, hands-on learning. Other key elements will include a nursing simulation and skills lab, human anatomy suite and biology teaching labs. The facility will also feature learning spaces in, around and on top of the building in the form of a rooftop observatory and an onsite greenhouse for the university’s growing botany program.

C.W. Driver will construct the building with a concrete structural frame to provide the high degree of stability needed for the facility due to the fact that it will contain many sensitive instruments. Targeting LEED Silver, the building will feature sustainability elements throughout to optimize energy and water use efficiency.

“The fields of technology, science and health are among the fastest growing in the country, and with this new, state-of-the-art center, we will be able to equip our students with the skills to excel in their respective fields,” said Biola University President Barry H. Corey in a statement.

This article was originally published on School Construction News.