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

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

  • Lewis C. Cassidy Elementary School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Lewis C. Cassidy Elementary School has been recognized with an EDS 2025 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.

  • Image courtesy of MiEN Company

    6 Ways to Pull Off a Major District Construction Project

    Designing and building a large-scale project on a K–12 campus is a monumental undertaking that requires the right blend of ideas, funding, design and execution to get it right. The process also relies on multiple partners, each of which has to handle its respective aspect of the project while also keeping the district’s broader mission and goals in mind.

  • Allegion US Partners with Two Colleges for Mobile Credential Technology

    Allegion US recently announced a partnership with Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) and Denison College, in conjunction with Transact + CBORD, to install mobile credential technologies campus-wide, according to a news release. Implementing Mobile Student ID into Apple Wallet and Google Wallet will allow students access to campus facilities, amenities, and residence halls using just their phones.

  • ECM Technologies Wins ‘Most Innovative Business of the Year’ Award

    HVAC preventative maintenance and efficiency solutions provider ECM Technologies was recently named the “Most Innovative Business of the Year” at the 2025 Champions of Change Awards, according to a news release. The program recognizes Arizona business leaders and organizations taking steps to make a positive impact on the state through innovative thinking and philanthropy.

Digital Edition