SLCC Completes “Green” Education Center

Kwame Building Group (KWAME) has completed work as the construction manager and owner's representative on the new $10 million St. Louis Community College's William J. Harrison Northside Education Center. The 31,000-square-foot education center in the JeffVanderLou neighborhood in north St. Louis City opened for classes in August. KAI was the architect.

The Harrison Center, the first "green" public higher education facility of its kind in St. Louis City, is seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. The center's energy efficient heating and cooling system includes heat pumps in offices and classrooms for individual comfort. Other green features include controllable lighting, the use of recycled materials, low VOC paint and non-toxic building materials and furnishings.

The new center will offer credit and non-credit courses in environmental sciences, allied health, computers/technology, and workforce training and development. The facility includes an art studio, science and computer labs, five classrooms, multi-purpose community room, bookstore, commons area, outreach center and administrative offices.

The Harrison Center is the second recent project in which St. Louis Community College and KWAME have teamed to collaborate on a sustainable building project that will pursue a LEED certification. The new St. Louis Community College-Wildwood campus was awarded LEED gold certification in February 2008. KWAME served as project manager on that project as well.

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