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

| Jun 3, 2013

6 residential projects named 'best in housing design' by AIA

The Via Verde mixed-use development in Bronx, N.Y., and a student housing complex in Seattle are among the winners of AIA's 2013 Housing Awards.

| Jun 3, 2013

Trifecta of awards recognize Vision/Rubenstein campus, Bayer Healthcare HQ

When Vision Equities, LLC and Rubenstein Partners purchased the 200-acre former Alcatel-Lucent campus in Whippany a little more than two years ago, the partnership recognized the property’s potential to serve as a benchmark infill revitalization for the State of New Jersey.

| May 31, 2013

Nation's first retrofitted zero-energy building opens in California

The new training facility for IBEW/NECA is the first commercial building retrofit designed to meet the U.S. Department of Energy’s requirements for a net-zero energy building.

| May 30, 2013

The Make It Right squabble: ‘How many trees did you plant today?’

A debate has been raging in the blogosphere over the last few months about an article in The New Republic, “If You Build It, They Might Not Come,” in which staff writer Lydia DePillis took Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation to task for botching its effort to revitalize the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.

| May 30, 2013

5 tips for running a successful BIM coordination meeting

BIM modeling tools are great, but if you can't run efficient, productive coordination meetings, the Building Team will never realize the benefits of true BIM coordination. Here are some helpful tips for making the most of coordination meetings.

| May 29, 2013

Realtors report positive trends in commercial real estate market

Realtors who practice commercial real estate have reported an increase in annual gross income for the third year in a row, signaling the market is on the road to recovery.

| May 29, 2013

6 award-winning library projects

The Anacostia Neighborhood Library in Washington, D.C., and the renovation of Cass Gilbert’s grand Beaux-Arts library in St. Louis are among six projects to be named 2013 AIA/ALA Library Building Award winners.

| May 28, 2013

LED lighting's risks and rewards

LED lighting technology provides unique advantages, but it’s also important to understand its limitations for optimized application.

| May 28, 2013

Minneapolis transit hub will double as cultural center [slideshow]

The Building Team for the Interchange project in downtown Minneapolis is employing the principles of "open transit" design to create a station that is one part transit, one part cultural icon.

| May 24, 2013

James Turrell's art installation turns Guggenheim Museum into 'skyspace'

James Turrell, an artist whose projects are more properly defined as "light sculptures," will have a major installation at the Guggenheim Museum this summer, turning Frank Lloyd Wright's famed serpentine atrium into a show of shifting colors and textures. The site-specific project, Aten Reign, will run from June 21 to September 25.

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