Calif. Community College Breaks Ground on STEM Education Facility

The Mt. San Jacinto Community College District recently broke ground on a new STEM Education building for its San Jacinto Campus in San Jacinto, Calif. The facility is set to stand three stories and cover 57,374 square feet, and it’s scheduled for completion by fall 2023. The college is partnering with builders C. W. Driver Companies and design firm LPA Architects on the project, which is estimated to cost about $37 million, according to a news release.

The new building will centralize the campus’ expanding STEM departments—including biology, physical science and math—which are currently spread across several buildings across multiple campuses. It’s set to include science labs and lecture rooms, general classrooms, labs for math and general studies, and faculty offices.

MSJCC STEM Technology Building
Photo Credit: LPA Architects

“Our goal at MSJC is to provide our students with the best possible education to prepare them for their future endeavors,” said Todd Franco, Dean of Facilities Planning, District Construction & Support Services at Mt. San Jacinto Community College. “This new centralized hub for our math and science departments will allow our teams to collaborate in a permanent space that will contribute greatly to the STEM education and research at MSJC.”

C .W. Driver previously completed construction of the Mt. San Jacinto College Temecula Valley Campus in 2021. MSJC encompasses 116 community colleges across California and serves students within a 1,700-square-mile range from the San Gorgonio Pass to Temecula.

“C.W. Driver Companies is proud to continue our partnership with Mt. San Jacinto College to provide their students with a best-in-class campus,” said David Amundson, project executive at C.W. Driver Companies. “It was an honor to be able to leverage our decades of experience in higher education to provide students and faculty with a centralized, permanent facility to further their research and learning.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • UCNJ Launches $30M Modernization of Physical Education Center

    The Union College of Union County (UCNJ) in Cranford, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $30-million modernization project for its Physical Education Center (PECK), according to a news release. The college partnered with DIGroup Architecture for the project’s design, transitioning the existing 42,000-square-foot structure into a campus hub for student athletics and campus life.

  • Recent University of Pennsylvania Projects Receive LEED Certifications

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently announced that three of its recent construction projects have earned LEED certifications, according to university news. The Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology (VLEST) received a LEED Platinum certification, Amy Gutmann Hall a LEED Gold, and the OTT Center for Track and Field a LEED silver.

  • UNT Dallas Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for $100M STEM Building

    The University of North Texas at Dallas in Dallas, Texas, recently celebrated the opening of its new, $100-million STEM Building, according to local news. The ceremony on Dec. 2 preceded the first day of classes in the facility on Jan. 12, 2026.

  • Texas District Finishes Construction on New Middle School, Admin Building

    The Westwood Independent School District recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Westwood Middle School and Administration Building in Palestine, Texas, according to a news release. The campus covers 106,000 square feet and has the capacity for 650 students in grades 6–8, and it will also play home to the district’s staff and administration.

Digital Edition