New environmentally friendly design first on campus
94,000-square-foot building will house nine departments
CHICO >> Sometimes, being a big “zero” is a badge of honor. At least that’s true at Chico State, which will host a “net-zero” structure when the Behavioral and Social Sciences building is complete in time for the fall 2024 semester.
Even though parts of the effort were already in progress, Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony convened university leaders, public officials, students, alumni and plenty of well-wishers at the site, at the easternmost edge of the campus. President Gayle Hutchinson, who will retire in June, said the 94,000-square-foot facility will embody three initiatives at Chico State — equity, diversity and inclusion; civic and global engagement; and resilience and sustainability.
Resilience and sustainability are major themes in the structure, which will be the first “net-zero” building on the Chico State campus and only the third in the entire California State University system. “Net zero” means reaching a balance between the amount of emissions something produces, or causes to be produced, and those removed from the atmosphere in order to reduce global warming.
Architecturally, the building will feature an indoor garden with living trees and bridges, as well as platforms for open and enclosed study spaces.
Eddie Vela, dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, addressed the assembly and explained that the building’s design incorporates Bidwell Bowl — an amphitheater facing Big Chico Creek, just north of the structure — with its unobstructed view of the water and seating.
Vela said the original plan to house his college’s departments was to renovate Butte Hall, an eightstory building completed in the early 1970s, but that
it became obvious such an effort wouldn’t be feasible.
“The building needs to serve us, not us having to serve the building,” Vela said of Butte Hall, later explaining that the halfcentury-old facility would require major asbestos abatement, among other issues.
“There aren’t a lot of upgrades possible there,” he said. “Anything significant would disturb the asbestos. Abatement would be expensive.”
Now, Butte Hall will serve as a “surge space” for professors to occupy with the Behavioral and Social Sciences building under construction. Vela said this will be true as other buildings are replaced.
The new facility sits directly north of Bidwell Memorial Presbyterian Church, 208 W. First St., and shares its eastern boundary with Children’s Playground. Chico State’s Ayres Hall is immediately west.
Capital projects funding from the California State University system and the state of California helped pay for the building, whose price tag is $98 million. Los Angeles-based architectural firm AC Martin designed the structure;
Turner Construction Company is handling the building.
Dennis Ramirez, chairman of the Mechoopda Tribe, offered a prayer in recognition that modern Chico sits on his tribe’s ancestral land, honoring the land and water while exhorting the attendees to imagine “what it was like before the concrete and asphalt.”
He said: “What changes is how we understand what the past was like,” and complimented Hutchinson’s efforts. “She’s a president who has worked hard to make sure we’re not forgotten.”
After remarks from Hutchinson, Ramirez, Vela, Chico State alumnus Dan
Wheeler of Turner Construction, and Chico State Student Academic Senator Brenna Gossner, the ceremonial soil turning took place. All five of them were part of the shovel party, joined by interim provost Steve Perez; associate dean Ryan Patten; Associated Students president Krystal Alvarez; Faculty Senate chair Marianna Paiva; Staff Council chair Tawnie Peterson; Chico Mayor Andrew Coolidge; Capital Planning, Design and Construction representative Zachary Smith; AC Martin representative Danielle Martin Spicer; and Turner Construction representative and Chico State alumnus Jim Hull.