Working on an Occupied Campus? There’s an App for that

 |  Education, Sundt People

Golden West College

It’s time to take some of Sundt’s education back to school.

We are serving as construction manager on the new Student Services Center at Coast Community College District’s Golden West campus in Huntington Beach, California. We are overseeing, coordinating and directing construction activities during every phase of the project. That includes working on an occupied campus with classes in session without compromising the learning experience.

“We have decades of experience working on occupied campuses and know what it takes to safely and successfully complete a project like this,” said Sundt Project Director John Messick.

One of the lessons we’ve learned is the value of providing up-to-date communication with students, faculty, businesses and the public. Construction sites are always evolving and can serve as a source of frustration for those who have their daily routines interrupted.

The project team worked with the Coast Community College District to develop a mobile app that will include a description of each project, general timeline, when construction is starting and a link to updates. The app is expected to go live around the time construction starts.

The project is in the “dead center of campus,” John said, making it hard for students to avoid in their daily routines. The community college has an enrollment of more than 15,000.

“The goal is to allow people to see what’s going to happen this week or this month,” John said. “It’s a big effort to keep everyone apprised.”

Once completed, the 50,000-square-foot educational facility will consolidate multiple departments into a centralized location on campus. Students will no longer have to hop from building to building to register, get financial aid and buy parking passes.

Work is expected to last about a year and a half.

“The district wants to create a one-stop student services building,” John said. “There will be 10 or 11 user groups in the building.”