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

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Arizona District Breaks Ground on Community Training, Learning Center

    The Tolleson Union High School District (TUHSD) in Tolleson, Ariz., recently broke ground on a new Training & Learning Center (TLC) for both district professionals and the community at large, according to a news release. The 90,000-square-foot facility has an estimated completion date of spring 2027.

  • Designing Third Spaces That Do What AI Can't

    In 2026, education is evolving faster than ever. With AI reshaping everything from lesson planning to personalized instruction, schools and universities are turning their attention to what AI can’t replicate: spaces that foster collaboration, community, and creativity.

  • Dallas ISD Voters Approve $6.2B Bond Package

    Dallas ISD voters have approved a record-setting $6.2-billion bond package that district leaders say will modernize aging campuses, eliminate portable classrooms and reshape learning environments across one of the nation’s largest school systems.