Merced College Architects Earn Distinction for New Building

November 4, 2005

The Sacramento-based architectural firm Lionakis Beaumont Design Group Inc. has earned a prestigious award for a building the company designed for Merced College.

Bill and Dorothy Bizzini Interdisciplinary Academic Center

On October 13, Lionakis Beaumont received a Design Excellence Award for the Bill and Dorothy Bizzini Interdisciplinary Academic Center from the Sierra Valley Chapter of The American Institute of Architects. The new building opened for classes during the spring 2005 semester. It was dedicated and named in honor of local philanthropists and College supporters Bill and Dorothy Bizzini, who pledged a gift of $1 million to support the facility.

The building combines two academic divisions, Humanities and Social Sciences, in the first new, fully dedicated academic building to be built on campus in more than 20 years. The facility also houses the campus computer and writing labs, and the anthropology/archaeology labs.

Each of its classrooms has up-to-date audio visual equipment such as, multimedia projectors, DVD/VHS players, computer generated instruction, document cameras, closed caption devices and audio systems. The state-funded project cost $10,218,000 and has added an additional 22,986 of square footage to the College’s educational facility inventory.

BIZZINI BUILDING AWARD 11/05