Estrella Mountain Community College students returned to campus this spring to a new classroom building located on the southwest side of campus. The $12 million construction of Mariposa Hall is just in time to help the college respond to significant increases in enrollment.
The building, which is slated to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, houses nine classrooms, one multi-purpose lab, two state-of-the-art nursing simulation labs, faculty and staff offices, instructional support areas, and informal learning spaces. Designed by Orcutt Winslow and built by McGough Construction, the building incorporates a number of ‘green’ features including recycled and low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) materials, smart technology to preserve energy, water collection tanks, efficient use of lighting, and more.
In addition to its green features, Mariposa Hall boasts a high-tech nursing simulation lab. This is one of the most unique simulation labs in the state of Arizona with two small labs, each designed to be a five + bed ward with private, curtained suites. The simulation lab includes a state-of-the-art audio/video system called the Student Performance Capture and Retrieval System (SPCRS), which allows faculty the ability to review and critique assignments of skill performances from the lab’s control room. The facility also contains two additional debriefing rooms, where fellow students can gather and review the work of peers through large LCD monitors. With the new SPCRS technology, students will be able to take video files to job interviews to demonstrate the skills they learned during their time at Estrella Mountain. Each lab is equipped with medical equipment including laptop computers, loaded with Cerner, Banner Heath System’s electronic medical records software; medication carts; patient charts; virtual IV systems; crash carts; and respiratory carts. The lab’s “patients” include computerized manikins that can exhibit a variety of medical conditions, including pregnancy and neonatal conditions.
Mariposa Hall is Estrella Mountain’s first capital project eligible for LEED certification resulting from the 2004 Maricopa Community Colleges bond election. The bond provided the college with a $71 million allocation for a ten-year building program for construction, capital and land. These projects focus on designing new and reinventing existing spaces that not only enhance student learning, but that continue to meet the needs of the students and community members they are designed to serve.
Students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to celebrate the grand opening of Mariposa Hall on Wednesday, February 24, 2010, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Participants will be able to tour the building to learn about the green features and technology available to students.