The Community College of Philadelphia’s Northeast Regional Center (NRC) expansion project accommodates nearly 3,000 full-time students and has over 50 classrooms, a bookstore, a learning commons space complete with a computer lab and group study rooms, a biology lab, an art studio, and a full-service dining area.
Windward provided MEP and fire protection engineering as well as telecommunication, audio/visual, security, and lighting design services for the 60,000 SF expansion and major renovation of the existing 60,000 SF facility. The design features a geothermal heat pump system to lower energy consumption. Complementing the electrical system for the new addition is a clean-burning natural gas emergency generator for life safety purposes as well as an upgrade of the electrical service for the expanded complex. The college’s existing one-card security system was modified and expanded to control building access. A dedicated CCTV network was designed to support state-of-the-art IP-based CCTV cameras.
The new addition achieved LEED Silver certification.
