Project: Black Hawk College (BHC) renovated the 50-plus year old building as part of the college’s master facilities plan. The project included health career and science labs, athletics and fitness areas, a food pantry, classrooms, faculty offices, computer labs, and the campus police office.

Goals: 1) Update the building for modern educational practices, using an approach that allowed the Health Sciences Center and adjacent parking lot to remain open. 2) Update HVAC and provide new fire suppression systems to incorporate energy recovery, demand-controlled ventilation, and LED lighting.

Design approach: Engineers provided structural, MEP, fire protection, technology audiovisual design, and commissioning for the project. IMEG worked in a team environment with the architect, owner, and construction manager during the design phase and continued to collaborate with the sub-contractors on key parts of the design and construction.

Project outcome: The building was transformed from what had been called “a bunker” to a building with plenty of natural light and access to modern technologies and laboratories.