[img]1352|left|||no_popup[/img]Students and faculty at ever expanding West Los Angeles College are happily settling in to their brand new, four-story location for social science, liberal arts and other classes.
“As a professor, I am thrilled to see these deserving students in first-class facilities,” said Fran Leonard, vice-chair of West’s Language Arts Division. “In my classes, I can see a difference in students' attitudes and personal pride now that they are out of those aging bungalows and into modern, permanent classrooms.” West President Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh said that the bond-funded building, “along with the others that have opened in the last three years, give our campus an even more university-like feel. The transformation fosters a mind-set of achievement.”
Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh said the community will be invited to a college open house tentatively scheduled for Saturday, May 19. Details will be posted soon at www.WLAC.edu/BusinessCommunity.
The $19 million, 47,989 square foot structure provides modern “smart classrooms,” which allow instructors to better integrate technology with teaching and learning. The building is certified Gold under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard. LEED is an internationally recognized mark of building excellence regarding environmental responsibility and energy efficiency.
Features that qualified the building for this certification include the building performing 52 percent better than California’s Title 24 Energy Code when renewable energy is included in the calculation. The building has effective and energy efficient lighting systems, efficient heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC), occupancy sensors, and high performance window glazing. The carpeting, steel and insulation are made from recycled content. Additionally, many of the building materials were extracted and manufactured within 500 miles of the building.
Ms. Long-Coffee may be contacted at LongCofm@wlac.edu
