North Campus Invests $80 Million In Construction And Renovation Projects

North Campus’ grounds have a rich history—it became Miami Dade College’s first campus in 1960 and even hosted a naval air station during World War II. 

However, more than 60 years after the campus was inaugurated, many of its buildings and utilities have reached the end of their life span. 

To provide a safer and more modern learning environment, the College has spent more than $80 million on construction and renovation projects at the campus during the past two years. The upgrades include replacing the water, roof and air conditioning infrastructures, renovating the 7000 building that houses the Math and English Departments and building the New School of Justice Training Center. 

The projects are expected to be 90% complete by 2023.

“Students benefit from making sure the facility is being kept up to the great standard and quality of service from our infrastructure and mechanical system,” said North Campus Interim President Fermin Vazquez. “It also helps the faculty and staff to work in a newly renovated space that can help them do their job free of worry.”

Here is what we know about each project:

Water Infrastructure

North Campus’ water loop encompasses the whole campus and is connected to Miami-Dade County’s water system mainline. The phased project, which has an authorized budget of $3.6 million, will replace all the old pipelines.

Phase one involved analyzing the connections between the county’s water system and the campus’ inner loops to make sure the pipes could be replaced adequately. Phase two entails replacing the inner loops and connecting them to the campus’ mainline to provide water to the buildings while the renovations are taking place. 

This method works by laying the new pipes on the ground and connecting them to the mainline. The old pipes are left as an abandoned underground structure since removing them would mean leaving the campus without water during the renovations.

The project started about two years ago and was accelerated during the pandemic because there are fewer people and less traffic on campus. It’s expected to be finalized by the end of the year.

The 7000 Building

After assessing the 7000 building, the College found that its mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems were no longer useful since maintenance had been deferred for years. 

Renovations were designed during an eight-month-long planning process. The last eight months have been dedicated to construction and renovations.

The building will have a new elevator and a bridge connecting it to the 8000 building. Classrooms will also include new furniture, cameras, PCs and screens.

“This renovation meets faculty and students’ needs and provides space for greater learning,” said Claudia Bonilla, who chairs the campus’ math department. “It also promotes administrative efficiencies.”

The project has not come without challenges. For example, some of the spaces where the windows were placed had to be resealed in order to prevent leaking. 

Portables were placed in the grassy area next to the 4000 building as temporary office space for faculty. The project is expected to be finalized at the end of the spring semester.

“It’ll be a homecoming being able to come back to [the 7000 building],” said English Department Chairperson Fernando Lopez.

The School of Justice’s Training Center

As the School of Justice became more popular, it required a better-equipped law enforcement program with additional labs and space. Since the old gym—which used to be an airplane hanger during WWII—was not in use, school officials decided to repurpose it into an additional SOJ facility.

For the past two years, the old gym has undergone demolition and structural reinforcements. The next step is finishing the construction’s blueprints as preparation for the full renovation.

It has a total budget of $35 million and is expected to be finished in the next year and a half. The final product will include all the furniture and equipment needed for the students, as well as landscaping. 

Roof and Air Conditioning Replacements

Just like other parts of the campus, the roof and air conditioning systems at North Campus are at the end of their useful period. Renovations include:

• The roof in building 1000
• The air handler and roof in building 7000
• Some air handlers and roof in building 8000 and the skylight between building 7000 and building 8000
• The air handlers and roof in building 5000
• The roof in building 2000

It will take about three years to replace the systems in all the buildings. Not being able to close all buildings at once significantly slows down the process because replacements have to happen one by one.

During this phase, the campus will work on the design, development and replacement stage of the project. 

“I’m thankful that we were able to provide all these improvements on campus for our students, faculty and staff,” Vazquez said. “It is really the focus of [MDC] and its president to improve upon what we do and [what we] offer our students.”