Add as a preferred source on Google

Orange Coast College Debuts $61.5M Academic Building

  • By Matt Jones
  • 10/07/21

Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif., recently announced that construction is complete on a new, $61.5-million Language Arts and Social Science Building. The college partnered with C.W. Driver Companies on the facility, which measures in at three stories and 107,760 square feet. Amenities include classrooms and office space; conference rooms and support space; an ESL computer lab; pace for speech, theater and debate; and a journalism newsroom for the student newspaper.

The new facility replaces 60-year-old social sciences classrooms and the 50-year-old literature and languages building. Built with the goal of modernizing the campus and accommodating enrollment growth, the Language Arts and Social Science Building features indoor labs for psychology, economics, English, world languages and communication; indoor/outdoor labs for geography and anthropology; and storage space. The second floor features a skyway that connects the building to the adjacent Mathematics, Business and Computer Center Building.

Orange Coast College Language Arts and Social Science Building
Photo credit: PabloMasonPhotography

“With many of its original buildings dating back to the 1950s, Orange Coast College sought ground-up construction of a modern, tech-enabled facility that would bring faculty and students together from similar departments under one roof,” said Dave Amundson, project executive at C.W. Driver Companies. “The Language Arts and Social Science Building will serve nearly 25% of the campus enrollment, fostering a centralized community of learning while being adaptable to education needs for many years to come.”

According to a press release, the building was funded 50/50 by California State Proposition 51 and by Measure M, “a $698-million general obligation bond provided and supported by the local community to modernize education facilities for all universities within the Coast Community College District.”

The college also partnered with tBP Architecture for the new facility’s design.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • California K–12 District Opens New Athletic Complex, Gym

    The San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) in San Mateo, Calif., recently announced the completion of two new athletics facilities: a new gymnasium at Burlingame High School, and a new athletic training complex at San Mateo High School, according to a news release.

  • Colorado State University Global, SCTE Launch Online Certificate Program

    Colorado State University Global (CSU Global), based in Denver, Colo., recently announced a partnership with CableLabs subsidiary the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) to launch an online certificate training program for broadband professionals, according to a news release.

  • DLR Group Appoints New K–12 Education Practice Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has named its new global K–12 Education leader, Senior Principal Carmen Wyckoff, AIA, LEED AP, according to a news release. Her teams have members in all 36 of the firm’s offices in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Europe, and Asia.

  • Texas K–12 District to Build New Elementary, High Schools

    The High Island Independent School District on the Bolivar Peninsula in Southeast Texas recently announced that construction on a new elementary school and a new high school will begin in January 2026, according to local news. Funding will come from a $27.9-million bond passed in May 2025.

Digital Edition