This PBCC complex will consist of two buildings connected by a multimedia lecture hall and courtyard. One building will house classrooms and laboratories for such core sciences as biology, anatomy, physics and chemistry. The other is dedicated to biotech classrooms and labs, horticulture and environmental science and a wellness center. A PBCC spokeswoman tells GlobeSt.com the facility is expected to reach completion in fall 2007.

A consortium consisting of PBCC and three other Florida community colleges designed a prototype science building for the state, "thereby saving millions in architectural fees," the spokeswoman says. The 50,000-sf prototype penciled out at $8 million per building. The Palm Beach Gardens' complex adds a biotech wing to the prototype. The Lake Worth facility will use the prototype design. "Because of recent increases in the cost of building materials and energy, the cost of the Lake Worth building could be a little more than $8 million," she says.

PBCC also has campuses in Belle Glade and Boca Raton. In fall 2005, it began offering a two-year associate in science degree in biotechnology to prepare entry-level technicians to assist senior research scientists. The Palm Beach Gardens facility reinforces PBCC's link to biotech industries, including La Jolla, CA-based Scripps Institute's Bioscience Research Park under development in nearby Jupiter.