SAN JOSE, CA  Gilbane Building Company, a global leader in construction services, announces that construction has begun on the San Jose, California, Evergreen Community College District and Milpitas Unified School District's joint community college extension project.

This joint project between the kindergarten through 12th grade Milpitas Unified District and the San Jose Evergreen College District is a first of its kind in the state. Students can attend kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school and college all on the same street. The three-acre site at the back of the Russell campus will see a single-story building rise with multiple classrooms - one English second language lab, one biology lab, one technology lab, two lecture halls, one community hub and collaboration spaces throughout.

The college extension building will have flexible learning spaces and walls; furniture that can be moved, stacked and reconfigured easily; walls with writeable surfaces; a lab that serves multiple purposes such as robotics and technology sciences; lecture halls that can become one large community room; a state-of-the art biology classroom, Wi-Fi throughout; and indoor and outdoor learning spaces.

"As part of our continued relationship and work with the San Jose Evergreen Community College District, we are excited to have the opportunity of working on this joint use project with the Milpitas Unified School District," said Andrew Spiller, Senior Project Manager, Gilbane Building Company. "A joint-use facility is somewhat rare, and the level of trust, cooperation, and commitment exhibited by the two districts is to be commended. We look forward to successfully completing this College Extension and are very proud to be part of something that will have a lasting positive impact on the Milpitas community."

The purpose of this effort is to create a facility that will meet the future needs of community college students and eligible high school students in the area and offer a unique setting to foster a college-going culture at Milpitas High School by providing education opportunities and to provide curricular opportunities for adult students.