flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

First look: Cal State San Marcos's posh student union complex

First look: Cal State San Marcos's posh student union complex

The new 89,000-sf University Student Union at CSUSM features a massive, open-air amphitheater, student activity center with a game lounge, rooftop garden and patio, and ballroom space.


By PCL Construction | May 1, 2014
The new University Student Union at California State University San Marcos featu
The new University Student Union at California State University San Marcos features a massive, open-air amphitheater. All photos

PCL Construction is pleased to announce that it has completed the University Student Union (USU) at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM). The grand opening was marked by a ribbon-cutting event on April 15, attended by hundreds of students, community members, alumni, faculty, and staff. 

The new USU is the campus center for socialization, casual interaction, programmed activities, and student organizations.

CSUSM President, Dr. Karen Haynes, says, “This union, this vibrant hub of our campus, was constructed with the interests and needs of our students at its heart.  We also took into consideration how our community might use this space, how our student union could bring us even closer to our region. Our partners, like PCL Construction, helped turn our vision into an amazing space for all to use.”

The USU is a four-story, 89,000-sf building which cost $43.9 million, and was funded by student fees. The USU features new dining options, an open-air amphitheater, a student activity center with a game lounge, a rooftop garden and patio, and a 9,000 sq. ft. ballroom. The USU was designed to achieve LEED Gold certification.  Built by PCL Construction Services, Inc., the project was designed by Hornberger + Worstell, Inc.

 

 

Michael Gallen, PCL Construction’s Project Executive, says, “The most challenging projects are also often the most rewarding.  This project offered numerous technical challenges with the site’s multi-level geography. It’s now extremely rewarding to see students enjoying this space. Its unique design is ideal for both private study, and social gatherings.”

Dale Kain, Vice President and District Manager for PCL, says, “PCL continued its reputation for design-build project delivery, and completing a quality product.  Building the USU at CSUSM was another step in creating a great partnership with the university.  We look forward to continuing our vital work at CSUSM in the upcoming months and years.”

 

 

About PCL Construction 
PCL is a group of independent construction companies that carries out work across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and in Australia. These diverse operations in the civil infrastructure, heavy industrial, and buildings markets are supported by a strategic presence in 31 major centers. Together, these companies have an annual construction volume of more than $6 billion, making PCL one of the largest contracting organizations in North America. Watch us build at www.PCL.com.

Related Stories

| Aug 2, 2013

Michael Baker Corp. agrees to be acquired by Integrated Mission Solutions

Michael Baker Corporation (“Baker”) (NYSE MKT:BKR) announced today that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by Integrated Mission Solutions, LLC (“IMS”), an affiliate of DC Capital Partners, LLC (“DC Capital”).

| Jul 31, 2013

Hotel, retail sectors bright spots of sluggish nonresidential construction market

A disappointing recovery of the U.S. economy is limiting need for new nonresidential building activity, said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker in the AIA's semi-annual Consensus Construction Forecast, released today. As a result, AIA reduced its projections for 2013 spending to 2.3%.

| Jul 30, 2013

Better planning and delivery sought for VA healthcare facilities

Making Veterans Administration healthcare projects “better planned, better delivered” is the new goal of the VA’s Office of Construction and Facilities Management.

| Jul 30, 2013

Healthcare designers get an earful about controlling medical costs

At the current pace, in 2020 the U.S. will spend $4.2 trillion a year on healthcare; unchecked, waste would hit $1.2 trillion. Yet “waste” is keeping a lot of poorly performing hospitals in business, said healthcare facility experts at the recent American College of Healthcare Architects/AIA Academy of Architecture for Health Summer Leadership Summit in Chicago. 

| Jul 30, 2013

Top Healthcare Sector Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]

HDR, HKS, Cannon top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest healthcare architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S. 

| Jul 26, 2013

HDR acquires Sharon Greene + Associates

HDR Engineering, Inc. has acquired the business and assets of Sharon Greene + Associates, a firm specializing in transportation economics and financial analysis with offices in California and Denver. 

| Jul 26, 2013

How biomimicry inspired the design of the San Francisco Museum at the Mint

When the city was founded in the 19th century, the San Francisco Bay’s edge and marshland area were just a few hundred feet from where the historic Old Mint building sits today. HOK's design team suggested a design idea that incorporates lessons from the local biome while creating new ways to collect and store water.

| Jul 25, 2013

3 office design strategies for creating happy, productive workers

Office spaces that promote focus, balance, and choice are the ones that will improve employee experience, enhance performance, and drive innovation, according to Gensler's 2013 U.S. Workplace Survey. 

| Jul 25, 2013

How can I help you?: The evolution of call center design

Call centers typically bring to mind an image of crowded rows of stressed-out employees who are usually receiving calls from people with a problem or placing calls to people that aren’t thrilled to hear from them. But the nature of the business is changing; telemarketing isn’t what it used to be.

| Jul 25, 2013

First look: Studio Gang's residential/dining commons for University of Chicago

The University of Chicago will build a $148 million residence hall and dining commons designed by Studio Gang Architects, tentatively slated for completion in 2016.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Adaptive Reuse

Empty mall to be converted to UCLA Research Park

UCLA recently acquired a former mall that it will convert into the UCLA Research Park that will house the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA and the UCLA Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, as well as programs across other disciplines. The 700,000-sf property, formerly the Westside Pavilion shopping mall, is two miles from the university’s main Westwood campus. Google, which previously leased part of the property, helped enable and support UCLA’s acquisition.


Geothermal Technology

Rochester, Minn., plans extensive geothermal network

The city of Rochester, Minn., home of the famed Mayo Clinic, is going big on geothermal networks. The city is constructing Thermal Energy Networks (TENs) that consist of ambient pipe loops connecting multiple buildings and delivering thermal heating and cooling energy via water-source heat pumps.



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021