Education Village, National City

The $21-million Education Village, completed for the county of San Diego Office of Education and Southwestern College, is the cornerstone of National City's redevelopment. The 100,000-sq.-ft. center serves more than 5,000 college students, making higher education more accessible to more San Diego South County residents, as well as providing training for future teachers with the most advanced technology available.

The 3.4-acre site features three buildings, including the 25,000-sq.-ft. South County Regional Education Center for the San Diego County Office of Education, the 47,000-sq.-ft. Higher Education Center for Southwestern College and a bi-level parking garage.

The design of the project is a model for the urban renewal of the entire community, so an attractive structure was necessary to inspire further revitalization of the neighborhood. The construction-management-at-risk delivery system was utilized successfully to deliver a budget conscious and schedule-driven project.

The project is a state-of-the-art facility that serves as a cornerstone of the community and a catalyst for further redevelopment in National City.

Education Village utilized innovative techniques and materials throughout the construction process, one of which is the use of alternative building methods for the three structures. The structural material used for each building was selected based on the ability to meet its intended final use while maintaining project cost goals. The project is situated on a seismically active area and steel connections are fabricated in such a way that the buildings are flexible, which should result in substantially less damage in the event of an earthquake.

The interior of the buildings utilize a variety of unique materials and construction methods to produce aesthetically appealing, functional spaces. A state-of-art audio/visual system is supported through the use of acoustical wall panels. This material provides a clean, textured appearance and absorbs ambient background noise. The rooms featuring this material were acoustically balanced so that the sound from the audio system is perfectly tuned for the space.

Education Village includes one-of-a-kind data networking and visual displays at almost every location on the project. Also included are modern teaching methods and equipment, including computer-controlled projection screens in each classroom and computer networking at every teaching station. The two buildings are electronically linked together so that information can easily be exchanged between facilities.

The county building includes an innovative audio-visual package consisting of nine plasma screen televisions and four recessed "smart boards"-video systems coupled with an audio system that supports a wide range of functions and is acoustically customized for each room-at conference room locations. These devices are similar to a plasma TV, but respond to touch and can immediately shift from a television to a digital white board.

The entire system is networked via fiber-optic cable to the Internet and the school district's office in San Diego, resulting in the ability to digitally access any room of this facility via real-time connection to anywhere in the world. Also, cameras, computers and hardware have been installed to air live on a local cable channel's community forums regularly held in the facility.

The Southwestern College building also includes a dental school with 22 chairs that feature the latest in technology. As part of Southwestern's dental hygiene program, free dental exams are available to the community.

Construction of the campus was completed in just 13 months, which required creative and efficient scheduling. Both clients were served under one contract. National City also took great interest in the project as part of its urban renewal program.

Partnering sessions facilitated a teamwork approach to the project which came in on budget and with a less-than-one percent change-order rate. In fact, all change orders were owner enhancements.

In addition to meeting the brisk schedule, Barnhart managers also had to deal with a restricted site, which was vertically and horizontally surrounded by an active urban area. The daily scheduling strategy served to ensure that excess inventory was not on-site to conserve valuable space.

Owner's Comments:

"The selection of and partnering with Barnhart has proven to be among the keys to successfully achieving this high-profile and wonderful outcome."-Dr. Rudy Castruita, superintendent of schools, San Diego County Office of Education

Project Team:

Owners: Southwestern College, San Diego County Office of Education
Architect: NTDStichler
Construction manager: Douglas E. Barnhart Inc.
Engineering team: KNA Consulting Engineers (structural)
BDS Engineering Inc. (civil)
HVAC Engineering Inc. (mechanical/plumbing)
Nowell & Associates (landscape)
Key subcontractors:
Western Rim Constructors
TB Penick & Sons Inc.
Morley Construction Co.
McMahon Steel Co.
Roof Construction
Brady Company/San Diego Inc.
Perfection Glass Co.
Ryan's Painting
Spectra Contract Flooring
Inland Building Cos.
A-1 Fire Protection Inc.
A.O. Reed & Co.
Control Air Conditioning Corp.
Steiny and Co. Inc.
Challenger Sheet Metal Inc.

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