130,000-SF Building Will Become College Campus

The college, which will be moving here from nearby Montclair, NJ, will shift over into its new home in time for the next school year, according to Gibbs officials. The institution provides college-level education for students looking for professional business, technology, healthcare, design and related careers. Formerly known as Katherine Gibbs, it has a network of campuses in the eastern US from Boston to the Washington, DC area, including a second New Jersey campus in Piscataway.

Facilitating the makeover of the building is the Woodbridge, NJ-based Aztec Corp. design team of David J. Fournier, principal, along with David Johnson, Susan Baumann, Stacey Kehoe and Scott Marchio. Richard Charles, Charles Laginestra and David Sherman of Insignia/ESG, now CBRE, were responsible for bringing the building into the hands of the new owner.

"This is a notable assignment," says Fournier, referring to the effort to make an industrial building over into an educational facility. "Having worked for Gibbs College on this project for a number of years, we are excited to see it enter the construction phase of this lengthy assignment."

The Gibbs College project will turn the industrial facility into a combination of lecture rooms and computer labs, along with a large library and other uses. Also on-site will be a 300-seat cafeteria, a 5,000-sf student reception center, as well as administrative offices for all faculty and staff.

The project's sitework will increase on-site parking and security, according to Fournier, and the project involves a complete systems redesign of all electric, HVAC and fire safety elements.