Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

UCSD Forges Ahead on Two "Neighborhood" Projects

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 06/03/20

While the University of California San Diego has put some projects on hold due to financial constraints introduced by the pandemic, the university is forging ahead with construction work on its North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood and planning for its Future College Living and Learning Neighborhood.

Rendering of North Torrey Pines

The first, the North Torrey Pines site, is a 10-acre "neighborhood" that will become the new home of the university's Sixth College and two new academic buildings, one for the Division of Social Sciences and another for the Division of Arts and Humanities. That campus will have 995,000 square feet of classrooms, recreation, lecture halls and dining facilities along with new housing for 2,000 undergraduates. A craft center will have a public-use gallery space and community-led classes and events. An auditorium will seat 600 in a concert-caliber structure.

The student housing will be ready for fall 2020, with the academic programs space completed by the end of the year.

The project is pursuing Platinum LEED certification. The contractor is Clark Construction. A February 2020 drone flyover video of the project is available on YouTube.

Rendering of Future College

The second neighborhood, Future College, is also designed to accommodate residential life for 2,000 undergraduate students as well as academic space for a new undergraduate college. According to the university, the project will also improve the university's theatre district with meeting space, retail, dining, underground parking for 1,200 cars and a significant amount of open space and outdoor gathering areas, some with ocean views.

The project is pending UC Regent approval, with the goal of opening in the fall of 2023 as the university's eighth college.

That campus would feature five buildings ranging in height from nine to 21 stories with about 900,000 gross square feet. The contractor is Kitchell. If approved, construction was expected to begin in fall 2020 with completion in fall 2023.

The university will pursue Gold LEED certification for Future College. Sustainability measures include the use of natural ventilation, drought-resident landscaping, high-efficiency features, high-performance HVAC, low-power density lighting, an anaerobic digester system for treating sewage and a photovoltaic array for solar power production.

The projects are intended to keep pace with institutional enrollment, which was 30,000 for the 2018-2019 academic year but was expected to grow to about 42,000 in five years, according to reporting by the San Diego Union-Tribune. That story quoted Chancellor Pradeep Khosla as saying that although the number of students living in dorms this fall could drop by 2,000 due to changes driven by the coronavirus, he expected the downturn to be temporary.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • Vanderbilt to Partner with ABM for Campus Preservation and Modernization

    Vanderbilt University recently announced that it has selected ABM Performance Solutions for a preservation and modernization project at its New York City campus, according to a news release. ABM will deliver its end-to-end ABM Performance Solutions (APS) model to manage critical operations during renovation and maintenance.

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Cal Poly Humboldt Starts Construction on Healthcare Education Hub

    California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt in Arcata, Calif., recently announced that work has begun on a renovation project that will turn the Stewart Building into a new Healthcare Education Hub, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Sundt Construction Inc. for construction services.