Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) leadership, local and state elected officials, community leaders, and representatives of BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers and J. Petrocelli Contracting have officially opened the new, $29.8-million William J. Lindsay Life Sciences Building.
The cutting-edge educational and research facility is named in honor of Suffolk County Legislator, a former Presiding Officer of the Suffolk County legislature, and long-time supporter of the SCCC, who passed away in 2013.  BBS served as architect; interior designer; and civil, mechanical, and electrical engineer for the new building. The project is aiming at LEED Gold certification, indicating a high level of sustainability in design and construction.
The Life Sciences Building is the first new academic structure completed on the Ammerman Campus in nearly 50 years.  It will house programs for students pursuing biology, marine biology, chemistry, environmental science, and nursing degrees.  A rapidly growing enrollment in life sciences disciplines necessitated the construction of the new facility.  Approximately 5,000 students will attend classes in the building throughout the spring semester, beginning in January 2015.  The building will also allow for the expansion of science classes to include an additional 100 students in the spring and 300 students next fall.
“The William J. Lindsay Life Sciences Building demonstrates our institutional commitment to invest in students and provide what is needed for a state-of-the-art education,” said Suffolk County Community College President Dr. Shaun L. McKay.
According to BBS Principal Architect Roger P. Smith, AIA, LEED AP, “The $29.8-million, 63,000-square-foot structure is designed to serve as a learning tool by itself.  It incorporates pioneering sustainability and educational features, such as interactive boards displaying – in real time – the building’s sustainability data and power performance.  It is a very cool feature; you can literally walk around and watch the building work.”
“The construction team collaborated closely with the college and the designers to ensure that the school’s daily operations were not impacted by the construction work.  Our site management team has closely coordinated noisy construction activities and deliveries with the campus leadership and ensured that roads and walkways adjacent to the building site remained safe and open to traffic,” said Joseph Petrocelli, Treasurer at general contractor J. Petrocelli Contracting.  “In addition, our team employed sustainable construction and recycling practices in order to protect the site’s environmental integrity, to ensure healthy indoor environment for students and faculty, and to support the project’s LEED certification procedures,” he added.
“The college’s enrollment in life science disciplines has risen exponentially in recent years, outgrowing the former building,” said Rosa M. Gambier, Ph.D., Biology Department Chair.  “The old life sciences building served approximately 4,700 students in the 2013-14 academic year, up from 2,700 in 2004-05.  In the last three years, we could not meet demand because we didn’t have the space.  This innovative edifice will allow us to increase the number of students taught and, along with our newly revised and cutting-edge curriculum, gives us the ability to greatly enhance the quality of education Suffolk County Community College provides.  It is a superior facility for student research and both collaborative and hands-on learning.  It will bring our department into the 21st century and prepare our students for the 22nd,” she added
With more than 25,000 students enrolled at three campuses, Suffolk County Community College is the largest community college in New York State.  The 156-acre Ammerman Campus in Selden, opened in 1961, is the oldest and largest of the college’s three campuses and enrolls over 14,000 students.
Other team members include general contractor J. Petrocelli Contracting, science lab design consultant Tsoi/Kobus & Associates, site designer Greenman-Pedersen, structural engineer Ysrael A. Seinuk, and plumbing engineer Bladykas Engineering.
New York State and Suffolk County financed the project in equal parts.