Our team eliminated $10 million from the project without reducing key program and design elements. The 110,000 square foot facility supports programs of Science and Allied Health and includes classrooms featuring wet, dry, and simulation labs as well as microscopy. Mathematics, Business, and Technology classrooms are included with a master plan shell space designed to accommodate Genomics teaching and production.

This multi-story building has “Learning Neighborhoods” with locations for student gathering areas grouped around faculty, administrative offices, and support spaces to promote collaboration and discussion outside of the classroom.

The team took design elements and incorporated the building's allied health identity into them. The exterior sun screen panels represent different DNA from around the world. The center staircase was done as a spiral staircase to emulate a Double Helix DNA.

”Working on an active college campus next to a residential neighborhood, eld leaders kept the job site safe, orderly and expressed sensitivity to both campus and neighborhood needs. They also exhibited excellent use of technology, including BIM and other software, which enhanced the communication ow of the project. The Clark/Sullivan team on the Merritt College Barbara Lee Center for Science & Allied Health was passionate about the project from the first pre-construction meeting to the final close-out. The college will long appreciate their attention to detail and commitment to making this a world class facility.” – Gary N. Banks, Facilities Project Manager, PCCD

The design included a student-directed learning experience that emphasized the systems, technologies, materials and finishes that celebrate the sustainable goals of the “triple bottom line,” earning LEED Gold Certification. Triple bottom line is an accounting framework gauging social, environmental, and financial aspects. These three divisions are also called the three P's: People, Planet, and Profit, or the “three pillars of sustainability.”

This project received awards for Outstanding Project and Sustainability Excellence by the Western Council for Construction Consumers.