As students returned to campus Monday for the fall semester, the new College of Behavioral and Social Sciences building crew was preparing for classrooms to be open to students.
Lovebird Coffee Company, a popular mobile trailer coffee company on campus, will also be opening a new café inside the lobby of the building.
The new building is on 230 West First St. behind Ayres Hall, near the Children’s Park where the former Physical Science building was. It is 94,000 square feet and four stories high.
It was designed by architectural firm AC Martin and constructed by Turner Construction Co. They began construction in February 2023, holding a groundbreaking ceremony for the building on Feb. 8th.
The construction company originally aimed to complete construction by May 2024; however students in the department are still attending classes in Butte Hall, the current location of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences.
As the department grows, additional space for students and faculty is needed. According to the university’s 2030 Campus Master Plan, Butte Hall was set to be undergoing renovations to the building’s interior and changes in accordance with the Butte Hall Replacement project after this move.
“The building is open for faculty and staff now, but classes will open as soon as they are available,” Dr. Ryan Patten, interim dean of Behavioral and Social Sciences, said. “Classes will roll into the Behavioral and Social Sciences building floor by floor as soon as they are completed.”
A dozen academic departments currently residing in Butte Hall will move to the new energy-efficient classrooms, lecture halls, conference rooms, labs and faculty offices. The moving departments include:
- Anthropology
- College Advising
- Economics
- Geography and Environmental Studies
- Public Health and Health Services Administration
- Multicultural and Gender Studies
- Office of the Dean
- Political Science and Criminal Justice
- School of Social Work
- Social Science
- Sociology
- Student Success Center.
As stated on their website, Chico State takes pride in its commitment to sustainability. This will be the first energy-net-neutral building on campus and only the third in the California State University system.
The building was designed and constructed with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a green building rating system, as a framework. Eight other buildings on campus have been constructed to LEED standards.
The new building will include new indoor air quality systems, biophilic design strategies, rooftop solar panels, renewable energy systems and environmentally conscious materials in accordance with Chico State LEED standards.
Along with classrooms and offices, Lovebird Coffee Company is opening its first location in the new space.
“The trailer will still be on campus for special events like Choose Chico,” Rebecca Turri, founder of Lovebird Coffee Company, said. “Hopefully in the spring of 2025 when we hire an additional person, we can run the trailer in conjunction with the storefront.”
The new location will have added menu items, including new fall-flavored drinks, a variety of pastries and baked goods, oatmeal and breakfast burritos from the Mexican restaurant La Familia.
As construction with the building was delayed, so was Lovebird Coffee Company’s opening.
The opening of the café was delayed, Turri said. “We knew that it was going to be delayed. I’m hopeful that by the beginning of October we’ll be there.”
The new home for the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Lovebird Coffee Company has beautiful views of the Chico State campus. The nature on campus is brought indoors with large glass windows facing the creek as well as living trees and plants in the lobby.
“The intent of the new project is to incorporate active learning classrooms, lecture rooms, administrative and faculty offices, conference rooms and breakout areas,” the Turner Construction Co. website states. “The building will make the most of the unique opportunities offered by the site and offers welcoming views of its striking surroundings from all directions.”
Bea Williams can be reached at [email protected].
To read the article in Spanish, go here.
