The Ribbon-Cutting

LINCOLN, NE – Southeast Community College (SCC) officially cut the ribbon on a state-of-the-art facility at their Lincoln campus: The Sandhills Global Technology Center. The kicker? They used a mechanical arm from their robotics lab to do the honors.

Alvine Engineering provided mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) services for the 65,000-square-foot building, which houses four distinct educational disciplines: Biotechnology, Computer Information Technology, Design & Drafting, and Electronic Systems. To provide innovative, hands-on education, the facility utilizes work-based learning approaches involving technology assemblies, toolkits, lab spaces, and computer rooms. Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird attended the ceremony, a testament to the project’s importance to Nebraska’s workforce. Matt Sargent P.E., who served as the MEP project manager, attended the ribbon-cutting with Joe Konen, the lead electrical designer for the project.

Unique highlights of the project’s design include specialty lighting systems highlighting electrical routing and mechanical systems within the building, a complex array of fume hoods, exhaust systems, and air pressurization considerations for lab spaces, and promoting the client’s overall theme of “learning on display.”

The Tour

After the ribbon-cutting concluded, Matt and Joe were invited to tour the space. They took in the sights and sounds of the facility, now teeming with activity, as instructors eagerly explained their coursework and equipment to excited onlookers.

“It is one thing to see the space with all of the finishes and furniture during the final stages of construction,” Matt explained, “But to see the building being used as it was intended, filled with life and academic equipment, it makes all of our hard work and effort worth the wait.”

The main corridors have an exposed ceiling made of perforated metal, which allows students and faculty to view the facility’s building systems. Glass walls on the fourth floor allow students to view electrical distribution and the practical application of their drafting and design classes. Educational devices installed within these glass walls can be utilized for hands-on learning.

“We felt an overwhelming sense of pride in the work we did and how the project came together,” Joe stated, “Our systems were the interior design’s focal point in certain areas because the facility uses them as tools for learning. It serves as an encouraging reminder of how important MEP building systems are in everyday life.”

Color-changing lighting on both the interior and exterior of the space helps enhance the dynamic aesthetic of the building while highlighting different aspects of the interior’s design. Tunable white lighting can be found in the architectural design labs and CADD classrooms, whereas exterior light columns enhance the campus’s friendly atmosphere.

Unique spaces, such as the biotechnology lab, required a heavy amount of coordination in order to ensure the laboratory was properly outfitted with fume hoods, biosafety cabinets, and a lab ventilation control system.  Additionally, the space is served with high purity water, piped oxygen and carbon dioxide.