Sierra Hall
Camarillo, Calif., July 27, 2016 — Less than a year after its grand opening, Sierra Hall on the CSU Channel Islands (CI) campus has won the “Best Project” award from the Engineering News-Record (ENR), widely considered the primary trade journal of the construction industry.
Sierra Hall won in the Higher Education/Research category from the Engineering News-Record/California, which covers California and Hawaii.
“I’m proud that a major project that is instrumental to the campus’ future success has been acknowledged for its innovation and excellence,” said Campus Architect John H. Gormley, Senior Director of Planning, Design & Construction for CI.
There were 90 entries spread across 18 categories in ENR/California’s Best Project 2016 competition.
According to ENR California’s web site, projects were evaluated in terms of their value to the industry and the community as well as their safety, construction and design quality. Construction teams were also judged on their ability to overcome obstacles.
The entries went before a panel of nine industry judges that included architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors and public and private owners from the region. Judges were split into three groups and each assigned several categories.
The Sierra Hall project was submitted to ENR/California by Sundt Construction, which CI hired to build Sierra Hall.
The state-of-the-art building, which had its grand opening on Sept. 5, 2015, is home to CI’s science and computer labs, lecture halls and spaces designed to accommodate environmental science, geography, geology, anthropology, psychology, physics, math and computer science.
Sierra Hall’s green features ensure the building remains 28 percent more energy efficient than building code requires. The sustainable features in the four-story, 66,500 square-foot building include recycled and renewable building materials, energy-efficient windows and lighting controls that enhance daylight and shut off when rooms are not occupied.
Sierra Hall’s construction team and the other winners will be profiled in the October issue of ENR/California. Two awards ceremonies will take place to accommodate winners in both Northern and Southern California. The Southern California ceremony will be in Los Angeles on Oct. 4 and the other will be in San Francisco on Oct. 6.
At those times, judges will also designate an overall Project of the Year with Sierra Hall and the other Best Project winners up for the grand prize. The Best Project winner will also be announced in the October issue of ENR/California.
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About California State University Channel Islands
CSU Channel Islands(CI) is the only four-year, public university in Ventura County and is known for its interdisciplinary, multicultural and international perspectives, and its emphasis on experiential and service learning. CI’s strong academic programs focus on business, sciences, liberal studies, teaching credentials, and innovative master’s degrees. Students benefit from individual attention, up-to-date technology, and classroom instruction augmented by outstanding faculty research. CI has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is committed to serving students of all backgrounds from the region and beyond. Connect with and learn more by visiting CI's Social Media.