Students at the Community College of Southern Nevada will soon be using the latest in computer technology.

The $25 million Morse Arberry Jr. Telecommunications Building at the Cheyenne Campus in North Las Vegas will house ultra modern equipment. The new, two-story, 92,000-sq.-ft. center is also unique because it is the first public design-build project in southern Nevada. The procurement method was initially approved by the 1998 Legislature.

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After a state-held competition, Martin-Harris Construction with JMA Architecture Studios won the $14.7 million job in June. Both are Las Vegas firms.

"Our telecom programs are nationally recognized and in such high demand that classes are being taught all around the Las Vegas Valley," Ron Remington, CCSN's former president, said in a statement. "Bottom line, if this building was completed and available to students today, it would be completely full."

Situated on 4.75 acres at the southwest corner of the campus, the building will be a concrete tilt-wall structure with masonry block and glass accented by EIFS and limestone veneer. With 87 panels cast onsite, the project will require 4,500 -cu. yards of concrete.

The largest panel measures 50- ft.- tall by 26- ft. wide, and weighs 130,000 lbs. It's being used for the stairwell, which accesses the roof. Set atop spread footings, the 37-ft.-tall new building contains classrooms, computer labs, administration areas, conference rooms, and a 2,400-sq.-ft. auditorium.

Additionally, there is a digital animation and video editing spaces, plus a production studio, tape libraries, and lounge spaces.

"The new telecom building is a critical step in attracting high-tech industry and diversifying the economy of southern Nevada," said Bill Synder, president of the CCSN Foundation. "Global leaders in telecommunications like Cisco Systems and Sprint have already invested millions in direct donations and in-kind goods and services."

Future plans call for an open-air roof-level lab area for teaching antenna and satellite dish installation. The roof is steel-framed to withstand live loads.

The building uses a total of 1,000 tons of steel . Wright Engineers Inc., Las Vegas, provided the structural design.

"The roof slab is 8 in. thick whereas roofs generally are minimally designed," said Steve Goold, a principal with Wright Engineers. "It had to withstand the live load of students as well as anchor antennas."

Named after Morse Arberry Jr., a state assemblyman who helped secure funds for the project, the new building will connect to the school's adjacent computer building at the second-floor via a 60-ft.-long steel canopied bridge supported by four 16-in-sq. columns.

A 200-ft.-long, 35-ft.-wide landscaped pedestrian mall, connecting the north and south portions of the campus, acts as a defining gateway entrance.

Due to costly high-tech machinery, the telecom building has required extensive mechanical and electrical work. The center is serviced by a 3,333-sq.-ft., single-level central plant that houses two chillers and three boilers. Southwest Air of Las Vegas is the mechanical contractor.

The ground-level floor slab is depressed 2.5 in. in order to house all of the facility's cabling and fiber optics. The second-floor uses standard cable trays, with wire running wire through the walls. Ultimately, the configuration gives the school the flexibility it needs to blend media technology with computing programs.

GSL Electric of Salt Lake City is the electrical contractor.

The project also utilizes the latest in green building techniques. For example, there are automatic dimming switches in each of the rooms. Also, the design-build team is using recycled materials wherever possible, including everything from insulation and asphalt to finished woodwork and material fill.

Once completed, the building will seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council as well as an Energy Star rating from the U.S. Department of Energy.

"The project incorporates day lighting into 75 percent of its rooms, plus it has very efficient glazing and site orientation to minimize heat and cooling costs," said Michael Crowe, JMA's project manager.

Roughly 150 people will be working on the project during the height of construction.
Scheduled to finish by July 2004, the 12-month project is currently on schedule. When completed, the building will operate as a 100 percent wireless network and Internet environment.

"It has been a challenge to work with the congestion on the campus," said Ron LaRue, Martin-Harris' project manager. "There is a lot of traffic so we have to coordinate things very carefully."

The new building allows the college to expand its programs in fiber-optic communication, computer networking, high-speed data transmission, satellite transmissions, wireless networks, television broadcasting and digital media. The college already operates one of the largest Cisco Networking Academy Training Centers in the United States.

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