Tuesday marked the groundbreaking ceremony for the 60,000 square foot expansion of Lanier Technical College, which will house the school's medical training programs. The state-of-the-art facility is designed by Pieper O'Brien Herr Architets and is being constructed by DPR Construction, Inc....
On Tuesday, Lanier Technical College held a groundbreaking ceremony at its Forsyth Campus for a new Health Sciences Building and Economic Development Center. This new 60,000-square-foot building will nearly double the size of Lanier Tech’s Campus located on Majors Road in southern Forsyth County. This expansion is in response to the school’s growing enrollment, which reached record levels in 2008, and the need in the community for new training programs, primarily in health occupations.
This state-of-the-art facility will house most of the school’s medical training programs, including practical nursing, radiology, sonography, cardiovascular intravenous technology, surgical technology, and physical therapy assisting. A large economic development center will also be included in the project. The economic development center will meet the school’s need for a large open meeting space and will also be available for community events.
Lanier Technical College is a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia. The Forsyth Campus is the second largest of five campuses located throughout the college’s eight-county service area in Northeast Georgia. The college offers career and technical skills training in the areas of technology, computers, business, health, and public service.
Lanier Tech has maintained a strong presence in Forsyth County since the Forsyth Campus opened in 1998 to meet the needs of students and employers in the community.
New program offerings were chosen after a thorough needs analysis conducted by Lanier Tech and the Technical College System of Georgia showed that the primary demand for skilled employees in Forsyth and surrounding counties will be in the healthcare field.
Funding for the expansion project of $11.2 million was approved in the 2007 state budget. Governor Sonny Purdue recommended another $1.5 million in next year’s budget to increase the size of the economic development center. The Georgia General Assembly has approved this supplementary funding.
Pieper O’Brien Herr Architects designed the Forsyth satellite campus in 1998 consisting of two buildings. They have been retained to design this new building to complete the master plan that was envisioned back in 1998.
With a staff of over 50 professionals based in Alpharetta, Pieper O’Brien Herr Architects provides comprehensive programming, planning, architectural design, interior design, and graphic design services for both public and private sector clients throughout the United States. The Atlanta Business Chronicle has ranked the firm one of the “Top 25 Architectural Firms in Atlanta” for the past consecutive fifteen years.
DPR Construction, Inc. has been selected as general contractor for the new facility.
A local builder with national capabilities, DPR Construction and has been “building great things” since its inception in 1990. DPR’s Atlanta office was recently named one of the “Best Places to Work” by its employees (Atlanta Business Chronicle) and in 2007 was ranked as the #1 Top “Green” Contractor of Educational Facilities (Engineering News-Record).
Specializing in technically demanding and sustainable projects in the advanced technology, biopharmaceutical, corporate office and healthcare markets, DPR has been recognized for its unique collaborative approach in both the national and local markets.
