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A renovation is in progress on the Health Technology Building at Portland Community College‘s Sylvania Campus in Southwest Portland. The 100,000-square-foot renovation is the largest project from PCC’s 2017 bond. The HT Building was built in the late 1960s.

Gary Sutton, senior project manager for the Office of Planning & Capital Construction, stated in a press release that there has been visible progress on the building in the past few months. The contractor has completed all of the demolition, seismic and structural work, including the majority of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing rough-in. The new air handler was installed on the roof late last month.

In addition, the exterior glazing is nearly complete around the building perimeter with the new skylight being installed and roofing scheduled to be finished later next month.

Sutton said the building is essentially “dried in,” with interior finishes beginning soon. That work includes the wall framing, sheetrock and ceiling systems. The scope of the job will continue through the end of the year, with the contractor beginning on the first floor and working their way up to the third floor.

The renovation project has included a build-out of many programs, including architecture, interior design, nursing, medical imaging and radiography, physical education and exercise science.

Until 2021, the biology labs used to be nested in the HT building but have moved to renovated space in Sylvania’s Science Technology (ST) Building.

PCC has already replaced the older HT medical imaging lab with a functional space, with a new open layout in the centralized suite.

In addition to ST, the Automotive Metals Building and its systems received several deferred maintenance improvements to the mechanical and exhaust systems, as well as replacement of the electrical gear and the remodeling of some existing classrooms to accommodate physical education classes during the HT renovation. Once HT is completed, the space will be fitted out as a large new classroom for the engineering department.

As part of all of this work, the campus will receive site improvements to enhance campus safety, accessibility, transit and connectivity. Plus, campus sustainability will be improved with increased landscaping and stormwater retention, and additional trees will extend the tree canopy, which can help cool temperatures in parking areas.