Transportation Center recognized for excellence by Associated General Contractors of America Houston Chapter

Jeannie Peng-Armao -- December 21, 2012

PASADENA, Texas – The Associated General Contractors of America Houston Chapter recognized Durotech General Contractors, Inc. for excellence in construction of the new Transportation Center at the San Jacinto College Central Campus.

The Chapter awarded Durotech with an APEX award for project management in education, which honors excellence in construction of facilities that demonstrate valuable contributions to the community and commitment to skill, integrity and responsibility. 

"A big feature of the transportation center is the light transmission, which saves energy," said Bryan Jones, associate vice chancellor of facilities and construction at San Jacinto College. "Also, everyone involved did a wonderful job in preplanning and programming the building. All the spaces flow and function exactly as expected." 

The Chapter considers such elements as materials management, use of natural light, infrastructure of the building, efficiency of both availability and how a structure can be repaired, ease of expansion, use and flow of space, and integration of exterior site with interior of the building.

Funded by a 2008 bond referendum, the Transportation Center opened in 2011 to provide an updated larger training space for the automotive technology program. Morris & Associates served as the architects, while Durotech served as the center's contractors.

The 92,000 square-foot facility houses a 100-seat multipurpose showroom with video conferencing capabilities; administrative suite; conference room; six multimedia classrooms; two customized engine repair laboratories; customized transmission lab; electrical lab; fuel performance lab; and 11 self-contained instructional modules.  Each of the instructional modules includes a car lift bay, multimedia equipped classroom, faculty offices and storage areas.

In addition to the credit programs, the new center supports two national training centers for General Motors and Chrysler, which provide special training for in-service technicians.  The credit programs include specific manufacturer’s options for General Motors, Ford, Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura, and Chrysler.  The college also offers a credit program for students not aligned to a specific manufacturer.

"The modular design of the instructional labs, integrating the faculty office, classroom, support space and the lift bays allows for a great efficiency in the use of space, significant independence of operations and ease of expansion as needed in the future," said Dr. James Braswell, dean of administration at San Jacinto College Central Campus. "The entire design and construction of the building ‘tells the story’ of the work and learning that is taking place within the facility.”  

The automotive technology department at San Jacinto College is fully accredited by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) and is ASE, Level 1, certified. Each full-time automotive instructor is also an ASE Master-Certified Technician. The transportation facility is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) NC-Silver. Industry partners include Snap-on tools, Mac Tools, Matco Tools, and Hunter Engineering Company.

About San Jacinto College
Surrounded by monuments of history, industries and maritime enterprises of today, and the space age of tomorrow, San Jacinto College has been serving the citizens of East Harris County, Texas, for more than 50 years. The Achieving the Dream Leader College is committed to the goals and aspirations of a diverse population of 30,000 students in more than 200 degree and certificate options, including university transfer and career preparation. Students also benefit from the College’s job training programs, renowned for meeting the needs of growing industries in the region. San Jacinto College graduates contribute nearly $630 million each year to the Texas workforce. San Jacinto College. Your Goals. Your College.

For more information about San Jacinto College, please call 281-998-6150, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.