KAI Design & Build, a St. Louis-based minority business enterprise, provided architectural,mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering; interior design; and cost estimating services on the $7.5 million Harrison Education Center for St. Louis Community College.
St. Louis-based minority business enterprise Kwame Building Group served as the project’s construction manager. Simms Building Group, C. Rallo Contracting, Wachter Construction, Inc. and Birkel Electric served as general contractors.
Construction at the facility, located at 3140 Cass Ave. in North St. Louis, is complete and the faculty and staff have moved into the center. It is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) registered project.
The new 29,700-square-foot facility will serve 400-500 credit students and 4,500 continuing education students in the areas of environmental worker training, art, general science, small business entrepreneurship, automated office skills, healthcare and culinary arts.
The two-story building includes an art studio, general science lab, multi-purpose community room, computer labs, classrooms, bookstore, commons area, outreach center and administrative offices. The facility also features a public entrance, emphasized by a glass elevator tower; high-tech audio-visual equipment throughout; a large, central atrium; and open seating areas on the second floor overlooking the atrium.
“The KAI Design & Build team was diligent throughout the entire design process to research and specify products or technology that would garner the largest number of LEED points possible for the various categories,” said Greg Antey, senior project manager.