COLLEGE OF THE DESERT
NURSING BUILDING

43-500 Monterey Ave.
Palm Desert, California 92260
Nursing Building T.I.
Masonry block/metal studs
9,000 sq. ft.

A Public Works project, Orr Builders was employed to complete tenant improvements to the College of the Desert (C.O.D.) Nursing Building. The 9,000 square foot remodel was comprised of masonry block and metal studs to suit the needs of the local community college. When C.O.D. was built, the original architecture was to give the appearance of Date Palm Trees standing in rows. With many new structures this would not be repeated, so when Orr Builders received the go- ahead to remodel one of the existing buildings, the exterior was to remain the same (with a slight facelift). Since part of our scope of work included solar panels the entire interior roof structural needed to be removed and a new roofing structure designed to take the weight of the solar panels needed to be installed. This new roofing system tied into the existing concrete panel roofing along the outside corridors, utilizing hundreds of epoxy embeds. The interior modifications included the removal of all the old classrooms, restrooms, electrical rooms along with the old antiquated hydronic system that heated and cooled these original buildings through an underground tunnel system.

The end result is a new State-of-the-Art nursing facility with a new heating and cooling system, Solar panels to help off set high electrical demands, interior skylights for natural lighting during the daytime hours, which all of them include dimmers so when the projector systems are utilized inside the rooms can be darkened. This LEED job Leadership in Energy and Environment Design required all demolition to be recycled and all new construction materials utilized to be of a high percentage of recycled materials. Smart boards, projection systems, GPS clocks, audio visual, and flat screens will help keep C.O.D. one of the premier nursing learning campuses in the United States.