Orange Coast College Language Arts and Social Science Building Breaks Ground

COSTA MESA, CA – A recent groundbreaking took place for Orange Coast College’s (OCC) new $50-million Language Arts and Social Science Building. The three-story, 107,760-square-foot building is part of a larger initiative to modernize the campus and accommodate its rapidly expanding enrollment. It is expected to be complete in summer 2021.

Orange Coast College Language Arts Building

The Language Arts and Social Science Building’s first floor will house classrooms, labs, an English as a Second Language (ESL) computer lab and room, facilities for the Speech, Debate and Theater Team and a journalism newsroom. The second floor will be comprised of classrooms and connect to the existing Mathematics Business and Computer Center Building, while the third floor will encompass division and faculty offices. The building also will feature two elevators, a lactation room and gender-neutral restrooms on every floor.

The building is financed through a combination of funding from California Proposition 51 and Measure M, a $698-million general obligation bond provided to construct education facilities for Coast Community College District.

C.W. Driver is partnering with tBP Architecture on the project.

Featured

  • abstract illustration of school gym

    How the Gymnasium Can Serve as a Model for Learning Space Design

    Multipurpose gyms work because flexibility was built into the brief from the start, not retrofitted later. The same logic applies to academic spaces.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.

  • St. John Fisher University

    Classroom Revitalization – Basil Hall Room 216

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. St. John Fisher University's Basil Hall Room 216 Classroom Revitalization has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of Spaces.