Page 7 - Laker Connection Fall 2015

support of undergraduate research projects where faculty and students work side by side in the learning and exploration process. Providing these opportunities not only benefits those in our science majors, it also impacts allied health students and every student on campus who takes a lab science course for their core re- quirements.”
INTRODUCING THE SCIENCE BUILDING
The state-of-the-art Lakeview Discovery and Science Center – which received its name via a nomination and voting process – is located directly behind the Laboratory Annex Building.
The first and second floors are home to class- rooms, teaching and research labs, prep rooms, office and support space, as well as gathering spaces for students to study and collaborate. Windows stretching the width of the structure on both sides provide ample natural light into the space and sweeping views of the pond be- hind the building. The basement space will one day house state of the art research equipment and a vivarium. The building also has a me- chanical penthouse and loading dock.
The building is Georgia Peach Belt Green Building certified. The Peach program recog-
nizes buildings owned or managed by the State of Georgia that optimize energy performance, increase the demand for materials and furnish- ings produced in Georgia, improve the state’s environmental quality, conserve energy, protect Georgia’s natural resources and reduce the bur- den on the state’s water supply.
In a tour of the building before the official opening, Dr. Michelle Furlong, chair of the Clayton State Department of Biology also ex- plained some of the Americans with Disabili- ties Act (ADA) advantages of the classroom and lab space.
“The classrooms are designed with options for students who may be learning from a wheel- chair,” she says. “There are different places within the classroom – seating at the front and the back of the classroom – to give students the choice of where they want to learn.” Furlong explains. Offering options for ADA seating fol- lows along with Clayton State’s commitment to inclusive diversity.
She also shared, “We designed the building with input from Clayton State students. Stu- dents indicated they wanted more study and gathering space near faculty offices. In our de- sign we included inviting spaces adjacent to the
IF YOU BUILD IT
To accommodate a building of this size and to locate it cen- trally on campus, the faculty parking lot and an adjacent lot near the Natural and Behavioral Sciences Building were cho- sen as the prime location (see red at right for Science Build- ing footprint). Traffic was rerouted to Snelling Drive (see yellow route at right). The site makes the Science Building easily accessible for students and faculty who may also have classes in the Laboratory Annex Building (LAB), that opened in 2011, or the Natural and Behavioral Sciences Building.
TOTAL COSTS FOR THE BUILDING: $2.1 million for design, $19.8 million for construction, and $2.9 million for equipment for a total cost of $24.8 million
5 THE LAKER CONNECTION
Comparisons courtesy of McCarthy and bluebulbprojects.com/measureofthings
SPRING 2015 5