Joliet Junior College Automotive Center Awarded LEED® Silver Certification

Feb. 21, 2012 - PRLog -- Darien, Ill. (February 20, 2012)—Wight & Company, a leader in integrated architecture, engineering and construction solutions, is the architect for the state-of-the-art automotive technology center and learning facility at Joliet Junior College, which was recently LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).  

The project, which includes a commercial automobile service shop area with 16 service bays, four new classrooms, a dedicated customer service area and new parts and equipment storage rooms, is part of an ambitious effort to accommodate an increase in enrollment and provide a technologically-advanced learning environment for students.

“The new Joliet Junior College Automotive Technology Center doubles the capacity of the Automotive Technology program and creates a superior learning environment for students,” said Ed Faron, project manager for Wight & Company. “Automotive Technology Center students now have computers at each vehicle service bay for convenient access to instructional literature, repair guidelines and automotive part diagrams. Fourteen inground and two floor-mounted vehicle lifts provide the highest quality facility for auto and truck repair.”

Wight & Company, who designed and built the first LEED-certified school in Illinois, developed the expansion to both facilitate learning and be environmentally friendly. “We strive to incorporate sustainability in everything we do. With this project, we are happy to have delivered an end product that meets the educational needs of Joliet Junior College students while also achieving environmental responsibility,” said Lois Vitt Sale, chief sustainability officer at Wight.

“Green” elements of the expansion include:

•   Skylights and clerestory to utilize natural light
•   LED lighting fixtures on occupancy sensors
•   Shop and classrooms served by separate high-efficiency HVAC equipment
•   Light-colored coating on asphalt parking lot and a white single-ply roof to reduce urban heat island effect
•   Controlled rainwater discharge into sewer system
•   Native landscaping
•   Recycling more than 75 percent of the project’s construction waste

Each of the four new classrooms are focused on automotive instruction and are outfitted with projectors and screens for instructor presentations. At the same time, the addition of 17,000 square feet enables Joliet Junior College to accommodate even more students to satisfy the increased demand in automotive courses.

“Sustainable stewardship is a way of life in our company, and we work with our clients to promote environmental awareness and responsibility,” continued Vitt Sale. “Sustainability is not a one-size-fits-all recipe. For each project, we help our clients identify their specific environmental pressures and priorities, and offer sustainable strategies that deliver solutions that reflect their goals, whether it be creating a high-performance learning environment or enhancing operating efficiencies.”

The expansion forms the east edge of a newly configured and relandscaped entry plaza at the main entrance of Building D. The new commercial auto shop, a vehicle maintenance shop that serves the students and faculty of Joliet Junior College, frees up the former auto shop space so it can be used as an extension of the classroom.

About Wight & Company
Established in 1939, Wight & Company is a leader in integrated solutions for the built environment. With a professional staff of specialists, including 60 LEED® Accredited Professionals, Wight provides clients with comprehensive architecture, engineering and construction management services to the public and private sectors. As the first firm to receive Green Firm Certification from the Sustainable Performance Institute (SPI) and the architect of 30 LEED® certified or registered projects including silver, gold and platinum designations, Wight is committed to sustainable design and construction principles. It maintains offices in Chicago and Darien, Ill. For more information visit www.wightco.com.