Riverside Community College District Completes $29.3M Renovation Project

Riverside City College recently announced the completion of a $29.3-million renovation project, according to a news release. The college partnered with Nineteen Six Architects and builder C.W. Driver Companies to convert a 1960s-era academic building into a new Business, Law, and Computer Information Systems Building. The project created 34,055 square feet of new learning space and took about 18 months to complete.


Ohoto courtesy of C.W. Driver Companies

Work involved demolishing all interior spaces to create new classrooms, conference rooms, testing centers, computer labs, and a multipurpose room, the news release reports. The site formerly consisted of a two-story classroom building and four-story service tower. The retrofit united the two structures via an addition on the upper level that also made space for a lobby and main entry, circulation spaces, meeting rooms, and open study spaces.

“This is our second project with the Riverside Community College District in the last couple of years. Previously we worked on the Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center at Moreno Valley College,” said Dave Amundson, C.W. Driver Companies Project Executive. “It’s another example of a repeat client that we work to grow a long-term relationship with us through new projects.”

The addition’s lower level features storefronts that provide additional interior access between the two buildings. Further new amenities include courtroom lecture space, a Cyber Security Lab, a Network Operation Center, and space for computer servers. The project was also designed according to LEED Gold Certification, the news release reports.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • Minnesota District Converts Middle School into Community Hub

    White Bear Lake Area Schools in White Bear Lake, Minn., recently announced the end of a major renovation project that converted a former middle school into a new centralized district and community hub, according to a news release.