Most students have heard the buzz from the construction while trekking across campus. Administrators claim the remodeling will provide a more efficient work space for students and faculty.

A new phase will begin with fencing being placed around the F-100/200 and J-200 buildings, which will be demolished over the forthcoming winter break.

Faculty members and students have already begun relocating to other classes. The F buildings will be completely vacated on Oct. 29. Eight classes will move to the Mesa College Design Center, and twelve more to the K-100 and K-200 buildings.

Interior Design Professor Mimi Moore has been waiting years for her brand new office.

“We are all ecstatic. How can we not be? The students all have big smiles on their faces, they are so thrilled. We got exactly what we wanted because they let us have a huge say in the process,” said Moore.

“I’m also delighted to say that one of my graduates, Krissi Jones, was the head interior designer on the project who worked closely with Interior Design Professor, Holly Hodnick to address our needs.”

Starting Nov. 1, soft demolition – the process of dismantling a building in order to salvage the materials for reuse – of the F buildings and J-200 will begin. The hard demolition – tearing down the structure – in these areas will commence on Dec. 21, followed by the H201 MET administration moving to L-501 and L-502 on Dec. 23. The demolition of F-100, F-200, and J-200 will finally come to an end Jan. 19.

Those majoring in accounting, architecture, building construction, business, chemistry, English, interior design, languages, psychology, or sociology will most likely be affected because of the Oct. 29 class relocations.

San Diego Mesa College Public Information Officer Lina Heil believes the community will benefit from the new modernized buildings.

“Our students and the community are the real winners. They will benefit from a 21st century, environmentally friendly campus, with technology integrated into every classroom,” said Heil.

The gradual progress of upgrading of the old buildings on campus has been referred to as the “Mesa Shuffle.” The insufficient amount of space at Mesa contributed to the projects’ nickname.

“All of our older buildings are not energy efficient, and are not ‘smart’ classrooms. They are simply worn out and do not meet the needs of today’s students and teachers,” said Heil.

Interim Dean Charles Zappia of Social/Behavioral Sciences and Multicultural Studies thinks people are looking forward to the updated expansion of the Mesa campus.

“The Architecture and Environmental Design faculty, whose offices have been in the F208 suite, are very pleased with the move to the Z200 Building” said Zappia.

“Their new offices are at least twice the size of the old, they are very well furnished to the specifications of each individual faculty member, and the adjacent areas – work rooms, a faculty lounge, student waiting area, mailroom, etc. – are spaces the faculty never before enjoyed.”

According to the Mesa College Project Sites webpage, the layout of the project replacing the F buildings will be a “150,000 gross square feet four story building. [that] will have classrooms, lecture rooms, labs for scientific experiments, computer labs, facility, staff and administrative support areas.”

The website also disclosed the budget and timeframe for the construction:

“The project has been budgeted for $117 million and is scheduled for completion by the spring of 2012. Programming is 80% complete and is scheduled to be 100% complete by January 01, 2009.”