Recognition for the Winn Center at CRC

CRC Connections, December 4, 2014
By Heather Kemp, Staff Writer

Over the years, Cosumnes River College has won countless awards, the most recent being the Winn Center for Construction and Architecture receiving a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum certification.

The center, which opened in fall 2013, won the national award from the Green Building Certification Institute for being energy-efficient and sustainable, according to a press release.

On Dec. 3, a Platinum Celebration was held in the Winn Center Community Room from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. to commemorate the accomplishment.

Attendees included CRC President Deborah Travis, Chancellor Brian King and Board of Trustees member Pamela Haynes.

Although the building is new, the values of being environmentally friendly are an old tradition at CRC, said architecture Professor John Ellis via a telephone interview..

“We’ve been teaching that since the early ‘70s, that sustainability is an important attribute,” Ellis said.

Ellis who, along with some of his students, came up with the vision of the building and the proposal for it, said that being green is “embedded in our curriculum.”

Costing $16.6 million to build and furnish, a goal of creating the building was to win a LEED Platinum certification from the beginning.

Photography Professor Jim West, who teaches in the center and was involved in the 10-year process of bringing it to life, shared how he feels about being in it now.

“It feels pretty amazing to be in a facility that goes along with my personal feelings in terms of being an environmental person,” West said.

West said that one thing he loved about the center is how it is now a symbol of the school.

“There has really never been an icon for CRC,” West said. “With this building when you walk onto CRC, it’s an iconic structure.”

It is not just the outside of the center that is innovative, there are many features inside as well that are eye catching.

Drinking fountains in the building have filling stations for water bottles, there are walls of windows letting in natural light, skylights, a lounge and concrete floors just to name a few.

The building also has solar panels on the roof to help power it.

“I remember back in 2001 when we were here at the groundbreaking and we could  just feel that this building was going to be special,” said one of the building’s donors Mike Winn.

Even though it has been open for more than a year, the technology and true potential of the center are still being adjusted to and discovered, West said.

Ellis said that the concept of having a green building on campus was to build community between students, faculty and the local community.

He also used the building as a teaching tool.

“The biggest thing was helping get my students involved,” Ellis said.

Architecture student Megan Lester spoke at the event and recalled a day in class where Ellis stopped the lecture to take his class on a field trip. The trip ending up being him taking the class outside to study the building.

“This is more than just a building that houses students and classrooms and what you are seeing here today is the next generation of teaching,” said Dave Younger who spoke on behalf of the design build team at the event.

Brian Sehnert represented the Green Building Certification Institute at the event and spoke about the group’s mission.

“The mission is to support the design and development of enviornmentally responsable buildings based on climate and geographical locations,” Sehnert said.

He went on to describe the three levels of certification a building can have silver, gold and platinum, platinum being the most prestigious.

“When you’re looking at projects in northern California, there is only two other community colleges who have platinum projects,” Younger said. “We’re lightyears ahead of most other colleges throughout the state.”

The center, named after the Winn family for their $1 million donation, was a big project for the campus and could not have gotten done without a group effort West said.

“No matter what, it’s always a team effort here at CRC,” West said. “That’s what has made this building so special and that’s what has made it what it is today.”

October 16, 2014

Cosumnes River College (CRC) announced today that its Winn Center for Construction and Architecture has earned a LEED Platinum certification, the nation’s highest standard for buildings that are designed, built and operated to meet stringent energy-efficiency and sustainability guidelines.

The Winn Center, which opened in fall 2013, was awarded LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, Platinum status by the Green Building Certification Institute. The Winn Center is the second LEED-certified building in the Los Rios Community College District. (The other is the Davis Center of Sacramento City College, which is certified LEED Silver.)

“The Winn Center was designed with the highest learning and industry standards in mind,” said CRC President Deborah Travis. “I’m so proud of the LEED Platinum certification. The Winn Center is a beautiful building that engages students every day by giving them an opportunity to participate in the conversation about energy efficiency.”

The Winn Center is unique to community colleges because it is one of the few instructional buildings with LEED Platinum certification on any of California’s community college campuses.

“This certification affirms the focus of the Los Rios Board of Trustees on sustainable practices throughout the district, and reinforces our strategic plan to teach students about environmental responsibility,” said Los Rios Chancellor Brian King.

The Winn family, whose donation to this facility was the largest private gift in the history of the college, felt students would benefit from learning in a state-of-the-art environment, one equipped with all the new technologies the building industry is using to support energy conservation and sustainability.

“My family is proud to be a part of this incredible achievement,” said Mike Winn, for whom –along with his brothers –the Winn Center is named. “The Winn Center clearly celebrates the art and science of collaboration

and the platinum certification truly makes it a place where students not only learn from classroom teaching, but a place where they can experience sustainable building design.”

The Winn Center was designed, and has become, a gathering place for construction and architecture professionals. It demonstrates sustainability with features such as chilled beams, an energy recovery system and solar panels.

“When we began to visualize the Winn Center, we always wanted it to be a ‘living model’ to teach our students about sustainable design,” said Architecture Professor John Ellis. “The LEED Platinum designation is unique, iconic and creates a great sense of pride for our campus and the community.”

This unique facility is also home to the Pharmacy Technology and Photography programs, which take advantage of the Winn Center’s “green” features, including skylights and effective use of open space.