22
October
2018
|
22:22 PM
Europe/Amsterdam

DMC celebrates progress of largest construction project in 2014 bond

Article by: Michael Bratten

With the General Academic Music Building II (GAMB II) construction site in the background, Del Mar College (DMC) officials today celebrated progress on the biggest project in the College’s 2014 $157 million bond initiative.

 

The GAMB II will change the way the college does business for years to come. When this building is complete next year, several aging facilities on this campus will be repurposed to meet the demands and needs of tomorrow’s students.
Dr. Mark Escamilla, Del Mar College President and Chief Executive Officer

Construction on the building began last year and is expected to be complete in August 2019.

During the event, DMC music students sang the College’s alma mater under the direction of Dr. Greg Graf, assistant professor of music. Regents and guests were then invited to join Valdar the Viking in signing a steel beam that will be used in the building’s construction.

The GAMB II significantly changes the character of DMC’s East Campus. Consisting of four interconnected buildings, the project provides upgraded, state-of-the-art facilities and creates new gathering spaces and plazas for students to become part of the DMC community.

The complex completes the new facilities for the Music Department begun in Phase I, adding three rehearsal rooms, faculty studios, practice rooms, music classrooms and music support spaces. Of the 22 new practice rooms, five will feature technology that creates a concert hall-like acoustical environment.

The outdoor amphitheater begun in Music Phase I will be completed, providing a feature that inspires musical performances along a protected north/south pedestrian pathway.

 

This complex reaffirms our commitment to offer high-tech learning in high-touch spaces and make our students feel at home and welcome. The board continues our commitment to the district residents to complete this facility on time, on budget and using wherever possible local architects and contractors.
Trey McCampbell, DMC Board of Regents Chair

The General Academic portion of the facility will house the DMC Division of Arts and Sciences and the departments of English and Philosophy, Communications, Languages and Reading, Mathematics and Social Sciences. Additionally, the Center for E-Learning and central office for DMC’s Dual Credit Program will be located in the GAMB II. These departments and programs are currently housed throughout the East Campus.

The new complex accommodates space for English, Speech, Mathematics and Social Sciences instruction that has up to now been offered in buildings that were built in the 1930s.

The cluster of buildings will be linked on upper floors by enclosed bridges. The physical mass of the buildings is balanced by courtyards with windows allowing natural light into virtually every classroom and office.

 

These four buildings are very highly integrated with the open spaces that are around them and between them. It’s not just a set of stand-alone buildings; it’s very much an action-packed, energized asset to the community and the urban environment that it’s in.
Elizabeth Chu Richter, Richter Architects

The outer bricks of the buildings were chosen to match the blond color of the bricks historically used on the East Campus, and they’re being laid in a random pattern that resembles natural stone stratification.

At the central north/south axis of the GAMB II is Mike Anzaldúa Plaza – a linear green space and pedestrian way that memorializes Creighton Professor/Professor Emeritus Mike Anzaldúa, one of DMC’s most beloved educators. It will include shaded and wind-protected places to sit, read, gather or entertain.

About Del Mar College

Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.