Pierce College Rainier Building
This new, $21.2M, LEED Gold Certified building is a three-story structure with three classroom "pods" for a total of 69,000 square feet. It houses dry and wet laboratories for biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer sciences, engineering, physics and earth sciences. The facility also includes a science dome that features a digital planetarium projection as well as other visual learning aids.
Classrooms and labs have automatic daylight harvesting and AV presentation systems. One "pod" has a 10kW roof mounted photovoltaic system. This system is connected to the building network for use as an educational tool. A Tacoma Power production meter was provided to measure energy produced that will provide monetary payback to the college. The system is large enough to furnish power to 1/3 of the building. The interior gardens were fitted with low-level illumination to help bring the feel of the exterior environment inside.