The Bellingham Business Journal

Construction is underway for the Campus Center, a new Bellingham Technical College building that is projected to cost $27 million.

The project will replace four aging buildings that were deemed severely deficient by a facility conditions survey conducted by the Community and Technical College system. These facilities are slated for demolition at the completion of the new building.

The new building will be 72,885 square feet and three stories, will be located in the center of campus and will meet the LEED Green Building Rating of Gold.

BTC was allocated state capital funds for the building in July of 2007 based on a statewide prioritization process conducted by the Community and Technical College system. Construction will take an estimated 22 months for completion. Exxel Pacific, Inc. was awarded the construction contract.

In order to accommodate the instructional programs that will be displaced during the latter part of construction, the project will also include construction of approximately 6,000 square feet of additional classroom and office space on two existing buildings.

Additional parking in the student parking area off West Illinois Street will also be added.
Among other things, the building will house the culinary arts program, the campus bookstore and a new campus library and student center. The new space will provide increased student study space, enhanced computer access to digital journals and books for student and faculty research, more efficient workspace for staff, and adequate space for reference and circulation materials. The current library space on campus is inadequate to support BTC’s growing enrollments.

The Campus Center will also have an auditorium for large group instruction and events on campus, something BTC is currently without.