Building an institution
Lafayette's new college campus rises among live oaks

By Sam Barnes

Kendall Broussard, The Lemoine Co. Inc.'s project manager, wasn't worried about demolition at the groundbreaking of Lafayette's $12.5 million South Louisiana Community College last summer. Only a few chicken coops had to be removed from the 5-acre site.

But then there was the grove of centuries-old live oak trees.

"We were told by the project architect that we had to take extreme care when working around the trees so we hired a licensed arborist to come up with a plan to protect them," Broussard said.

Dufore's Tree Service of Ville Platte subsequently fenced off the 10 trees and put mulch inside the fence perimeter so that construction equipment would not injure the trees' root systems.

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A company representative also makes weekly site inspections.

"If a tree has to be trimmed, they have to do it," Broussard added. "Any time a tree is touched it has to be by Dufore's." Only one tree was removed because it lay in the middle of the school's building pad.

Ultimately, The Lemoine Co. will construct a single 82,000-sq.-ft., three-floor building that includes 15 classrooms, five laboratories, auditorium, library, administrative offices, bookstore and recreation room. The campus will centralize some the college's classrooms that are currently scattered across Lafayette, New Iberia and Franklin.

The project will be completed by November.

Broussard said the project is design/build, although all of the design has been subcontracted to Architects Southwest of Lafayette. Design of the campus began in October 2002.

"When we broke ground in August, the project was still in design development," he added. "They released the mechanical, sitework, electrical and plumbing package so we could get started." Total design was finished in November.

Starting construction before having completed designs created some challenges, because "there are things you need to coordinate while the structure is going up and you may not know where certain components are going to be," Broussard said.

Fill was hauled to the site to raise the building pad and Gulf South Piling of Jefferson began driving more than 400 45-ft.-long wood piles as foundation. The forming and pouring of concrete grade beams and pedestals followed.

Champion Steel of Alexandria furnished and erected the structural steel for the building's frame.

"They topped out in mid February," Broussard said. "The steel erection went perfectly and there were few if any problems. A steel shortage hit the nation shortly after the last piece of steel was erected.

A series of cold-formed steel roof trusses were fabricated, pre-assembled and delivered to the site by Steel Source of Irving, Texas, and Matrix Building Systems of Lafayette.

The trusses support a unique hip roof system with varying transitions to resemble "a Creole residential style," Broussard said.

Joe Toher, a representative of Matrix Building Systems, said the piecing together of the trusses "was a phenomenal undertaking."

"There were numerous parts and pieces to assemble," he added. "The trusses were assembled in a factory in Tyler and shipped to the site fully assembled. Not having to stick-build the trusses in mid air is safer and faster."

A 7,400-sq.-ft. auditorium will have a cupola roof system with an eight-sided configuration. The auditorium space will be a simple open area with no permanent stage or seating so that movable partitions can be used to create meeting spaces of varying sizes.

The building's composite concrete slabs measure 4 to 5.5 in. thick and are reinforced with welded wire fabric. The 3,500 cu. yds. of 3,500 psi mix is being supplied by Baldwin Ready-Mix and pumped into place.

"Right now, we're trying to get the building dried in so we can begin interior wall framing and buildout," said jobsite superintendent Bobby Kadder. As a cost saving measure, two unused chillers are being transported from Baton Rouge Community College to provide cooling for the Lafayette campus.

"A new central plant is coming on line in Baton Rouge and to save money we're going to take their chillers and put them here," Kadder said. "We expect to get those at the end of June."

The exterior of the building will consist of a brick veneer, cast stone and stucco, as well as glass and glazing. Synthetic roof shingles will cap the building.

"There's a plaza area off the front of the structure that will be nicely landscaped so that the students can sit and mingle outside," Broussard said. A 260-car parking lot will be paved off to one side of the building and across a nearby street.

Interior work is highlighted by the building's aesthetic main entrance, including a two-story vertical atrium, maple wood paneling and terrazzo floors.

"The atrium is about a 24-ft.-tall space and the second floor overlooks the lobby," Broussard said. "There are also some glassed-in second floor offices that overlook the atrium."

South Louisiana Community College's new academic complex was made necessary by a more than 40 percent increase in enrollment. Five more buildings are planned for the future.

The new building was financed by issuing tax-exempt bonds through the Lafayette Public Facilities Trust Authority and funding from the Louisiana Legislature. Once the bonds to finance the new building are paid off the building will be owned by the state.

The first campus of SLCC opened in 1998 with 36 students in New Iberia. The system now has an enrollment of 1,533 with other locations in Franklin and Lafayette. <<

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For more information about South Louisiana Community College, go to: www.slcc.cc.la.us/