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

  • Rowan University, HPE Partner on New Learning Initiative

    Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., recently announced that it has expanded its partnership with enterprise technology provider HPE to improve research capabilities and hands-on learning opportunities, according to a news release.

  • Lawrence Group Announces Three New Hires

    Integrated planning and design firm Lawrence Group, based in St. Louis, Mo., recently welcomed three new staff members, according to a news release.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • 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.