As Kevin Nicholson led a small group of visitors to the new Linn-Benton Community College science building, he was quick to point out that it was beginning to take the shape he envisioned.

"It's starting to look like the renderings," said Nicholson, LBCC's construction manager for the site.

The visitors included Dave Hunt, speaker of the Oregon House, and Rep. Andy Olson, R-Albany. They got a first look at the interior design of the 26,000-square-foot structure Friday afternoon. LBCC President Rita Cavin led the tour.

"This is a thank you tour for the support we've received," she told Hunt.

The visitors viewed what will soon be classrooms, labs and student gathering areas.

"It's being built so that the labs can grow with the science programs," said Carol Schaafsma, executive vice president of academic affairs at LBCC.

The first floor will be almost all classroom and lab space. The classrooms will feature indirect lighting - they'll have windows to a hallway that has large windows to the outside.

Large rooms will double the capacity, according to Cavin. Creative spaces have been designed on the interior for students to gather. The second floor repeats the pattern and includes a skybridge that connects the new facility with the current science building.

Once completed, the entire west side of the campus quad will house science facilities. The current structure will be remodeled once the new project is finished.

Nicholson and architect Don Johnson of DJ Architecture in Albany explained the green aspects of the building, which is certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

Johnson touched on several examples, including the roof garden and wall cladding that will feature a convection current behind brick panels that will cut down on moisture and help with insulation.

"This is a wonderful example of how green construction is environmentally and economically sound," Hunt said.

Nicholson said the $10 million project is about 75 percent complete. "We're still on schedule. We will be working on completing the exterior walls and getting them painted so we can get them closed before the rains hit," he said. "Then we'll move inside for the home stretch."