After undergoing construction for more than a year, the new Student Resource Building will open its doors to the UCSB community tomorrow.

The new building, which cost approximately $30 million dollars to complete, will be paid for by funds from student lock-in fees over the next 30 years. Students approved the fee increase – amounting to approximately $33.33 per student per quarter – for the facility in a 2001 campus-wide election.

The SRB, located adjacent to the bike path near the Pardall Tunnel, will consolidate a number of student-oriented departments – including Campus Learning Assistance Services, the Women’s Center, the Disabled Students Program and the Office of Student Life – into a single location.

Laura Lambert, director of development for Student Affairs, said that locating the majority of UCSB’s most frequently used campus offices in one building will make it easier for students to access different university services in one visit.

For instance, Lambert said, it will be more convenient for students who are referred by one campus service to the headquarters of another department to navigate between the two locations.

“This is going to be like a one-stop shopping place for students,” she said.

In addition, Lambert said the SRB will be a multi-use resource center for students and campus groups, as the structure has several areas reserved solely for student use, including both a multipurpose room and a conference room. The SRB will also have wireless Internet access throughout its interior, she said.

“We want to see new programming and new interest coming from student use of the facilities,” Lambert said.

According to Associate Dean of Students Carolyn Buford, the U.S. Green Building Council recently awarded the SRB a silver LEED certification – a commendable distinction given to new environmentally sustainable buildings based on several factors, including the structure’s energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality.

Lambert said the facility was specifically designed to be eco-friendly. The UCSB Office of Sustainability helped to assure this, she said – suggesting the installation of features like mechanical internal ventilation and several physical structures composed solely of recycled materials, such as floors made from post-industrial nylon.

“Every inch of the building is [being] used very well and effectively,” Lambert said.

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