Centennial Education Center (CEC) at Santa Ana College

The Centennial Education Center (CEC) at Santa Ana College added a modular elevator from Modular Elevator Manufacturing, Inc. (MEM) during its renovation to expand the facility. The CEC added a modular elevator to modernize the facility that was originally constructed to serve 45 children and now accommodates nearly 200 children ranging from infants to preschoolers 3-4 years of age. The facility combined children's classrooms and resource areas with a small teaching workspace for the college's early childhood education program. The modular elevator system took just three days to install. The installation process included delivering the system to the CEC on a flatbed truck and hoisting it into the elevator pit with a crane. The elevator is adjacent to the facility’s two-story outdoor stairwell and features a Fastrack, 2-stop, in-line, holeless hydraulic elevator contained in a freestanding structural steel hoistway that matches the CEC’s facade. The elevator system features state of the art digital controls, a fully-equipped standard elevator car, fully assembled modular hoistway tower constructed from welded tubular steel and is powered by an oil hydraulic machine. “The modular elevator system meets California Division of State Architect approval and ADA requirements,” explains Tom Shield, President and Founder of MEM. “The installation went smoothly, as our simple, straightforward system minimizes on-site construction and inconvenience. The end result provided an affordable solution that provided improved accessibility for the children, parents, students and teachers that utilize the CEC.” Modular elevators offer many advantages over a conventional elevator and are ideal for use in education facilities. Priced below conventional elevators, they also require less labor to install and power to operate. The holeless design reduced cost and installation time for the CEC and requires very little maintenance. The renovation project started in August 2009 and the elevator was set in March 2010. The elevator was inspected and approved in September 2010. In addition to MEM, the project team included Harley Ellis Devereaux, Los Angeles, CA as architect, Bernards Brothers, San Fernando, CA as construction manager and ISEC, Ontario, CA as general contractor.