Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Construction to Begin on Off-Campus Academic Building at UC San Diego

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/08/21

At UC San Diego, construction is set to begin on a 7-story academic building that will house health and medical programs. The $70-million La Jolla Innovation Center (LJIC) will be located just across the street from the southwest edge of campus. The university cited space concerns within the existing boundaries of its campus, as well as the fact that many of its on-campus buildings require expensive seismic upgrades.

The LJIC is the result of a partnership between the university and real estate investment and development firm GPI Companies. The University of California Board of Regents will purchase the one-acre site from GPI, who will design, finance, build, and maintain the facility. Once complete, the university will lease the space from GPI.

The structure is expected to measure in at 110,000 square feet of educational and office space. It will include five stories of UCSD Health Sciences and Extension programs, two levels of above-ground parking, and two levels of below-ground parking, as well as a ground-floor café open to the public.

“The objectives [of this building] are to take advantage of a site that is underutilized with a now-closed restaurant, keep our researchers in the area they need to be to conduct important research, keep UCSD Extension with a new modern home for their classes and easy access to the VA Medical Center and the campus for administration,” said Jeff Graham, executive director of real estate at UCSD.

The building is set to be about 100 feet tall, which has caused some controversy during the planning process. City land use regulations set a Coastal Zone height limit of no more than 30 feet. “I am supportive of [UCSD’s] long-range development plan and appreciative of their public infrastructure investments,” said San Diego City Councilman Joe LaCava. “Developing off-campus property should respect, and not preempt, City land use regulations. Collaborative conversations between the university and City ensures the needs and goals of both can be realized.”

The university has stated in one of the project’s planning documents that, “As a constitutionally established state entity, the university is not subject to municipal plans, policies and regulations of surrounding local governments, such as the City’s General Plan or its Coastal Height Limit Overlay Zone.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • Miami University Approves New $242M Multipurpose Arena

    Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, recently announced that its Board of Trustees has approved construction of a new multipurpose arena at Cook Field, according to university news. The $242-million project will serve as a new centralized hub for student life and create space for economic development on campus.

  • UTampa Breaks Ground on STEM Academic Facility

    The University of Tampa in Tampa, Fla., recently broke ground on one of its largest academic facilities ever, according to a news release. The Dickey Science Innovation Center will measure 153,000 square feet and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • Tennessee Middle School Completes Health, Life Safety Renovations

    The Giles County Board of Education in Pulaski, Tenn., recently announced that a series of renovation projects has been completed at Bridgeforth Middle School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Wold Architects & Engineers and Brindley Construction to modernize building systems at one of the district’s oldest schools.