UC Merced recently completed the third phase of its 2020 Project, which the university asserts is the largest public-private partnership social infrastructure project in U.S. history.
The $1.2 billion project on 219 acres in California’s San Joaquin Valley initially started construction in October 2016. It adds 11 buildings and 1.2 million gross sf to the campus, including wet and computational labs, student housing, 1,570 parking spaces, a conference center, a greenhouse, and recreational fields. Two more buildings are planned for future phases.
This is the only higher education campus in the nation where all buildings are LEED certified. The 2020 Project buildings are certified LEED Platinum. The 2020 Project is designed to achieve "Triple Zero" sustainability—zero net energy, zero landfill waste, and zero net greenhouse gas emissions. It’s the first public research university in the U.S. to achieve carbon neutrality.
The 2020 Project supports enrollment of 10,000 students. The project gave UC Merced the opportunity to address its current and future space needs. Students and faculty were invited during the design phase to help develop a process for managing the use of UC Merced’s physical facilities to further its teaching, research, and public service mission.
MULTIPLE ARCHITECTS INVOLVED
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, which created UC Merced’s original master plan in 2002 and eight other campus buildings, master-planned the 2020 Project, a design-build effort with lead contractor Webcor Construction and the developer and equity member Plenary Group (Canada).
“This on-time, on-budget completion of the 2020 Project shows that incredible things can happen when all stakeholders work together with a true spirit of partnership,” said Dale Bonner, executive chairman of Plenary.
SOM was the design architect on the 2020 Project’s research labs, dining hall, loading dock, and greenhouse. Page Southerland Page and Mahlum Architects designed the student housing. HOK designed the student life facility, Early Childhood Education Center, Wellness Center, and competition swimming pool. The academic classroom and student enrollment center architect was WRNS Studio. Arup North America provided infrastructure and engineering services, and Johnson Controls was the lead for operations and maintenance. Atelier Ten provided the LEED certification service and was in charge of Sustainability and energy modeling for the 11 new buildings.
The project delivery team included UC Merced’s Physical Operations, Planning, and Development department, WT Partnership (project and contract management), AECOM (engineering advisor), Woods Bagot (design advisor for lab and academic space), and Crawford Architects (design advisor for student life and housing).
A VARIETY OF NEW BUILDINGS
UC Merced completed its 2020 Project in three phases. It was essentially finished last fall.
The 2020 Project’s academic program includes 373,400 assignable sf of research space, instructional space, and academic office space. The amounts and types of space are tied to the anticipated distribution of faculty members among disciplines, classroom utilization, and a modular approach to office-space needs.
Integrated throughout the campus, the Student Life program includes health and psychological counseling facilities, early childhood education, enrollment, dining, and recreational facilities that support, attract, and retain students. The 2020 Project encourages innovations that facilitate shared student‐life spaces and one‐stop, student‐centered services. It totals 115,500 assignable sf plus 420,570 gross sf of outdoor space, including athletic fields.
The student housing program is designed to address existing and future demand for on-campus housing. It includes 289,600 assignable sf and adds more than 1,700 beds to the campus inventory.
The campus has more room to grow, as needed.
Beyond the 2020 Project delivery, several master plan-only facilities have been sited, including an arena, welcome center, conference center, and expansion to the Academic Leadership Office, among others. A 2,500-sf Research Greenhouse is strategically located so it can be expanded as funding becomes available in the coming years. The greenhouse currently provides for a variety of research opportunities, including food and water security, biodiversity, climate change, renewable energy, and ecosystems—all of which supports UCM’s mission to prioritize sustainability.
Related Stories
| Oct 9, 2014
Regulations, demand will accelerate revenue from zero energy buildings, according to study
A new study by Navigant Research projects that public- and private-sector efforts to lower the carbon footprint of new and renovated commercial and residential structures will boost the annual revenue generated by commercial and residential zero energy buildings over the next 20 years by 122.5%, to $1.4 trillion.
| Oct 9, 2014
Beyond the bench: Meet the modern laboratory facility
Like office workers escaping from the perceived confines of cubicles, today’s scientists have been freed from the trappings of the typical lab bench, writes Perkins+Will's Bill Harris.
| Sep 24, 2014
Architecture billings see continued strength, led by institutional sector
On the heels of recording its strongest pace of growth since 2007, there continues to be an increasing level of demand for design services signaled in the latest Architecture Billings Index.
| Sep 22, 2014
4 keys to effective post-occupancy evaluations
Perkins+Will's Janice Barnes covers the four steps that designers should take to create POEs that provide design direction and measure design effectiveness.
| Sep 22, 2014
Sound selections: 12 great choices for ceilings and acoustical walls
From metal mesh panels to concealed-suspension ceilings, here's our roundup of the latest acoustical ceiling and wall products.
| Sep 17, 2014
New hub on campus: Where learning is headed and what it means for the college campus
It seems that the most recent buildings to pop up on college campuses are trying to do more than just support academics. They are acting as hubs for all sorts of on-campus activities, writes Gensler's David Broz.
| Sep 9, 2014
Using Facebook to transform workplace design
As part of our ongoing studies of how building design influences human behavior in today’s social media-driven world, HOK’s workplace strategists had an idea: Leverage the power of social media to collect data about how people feel about their workplaces and the type of spaces they need to succeed.
| Sep 7, 2014
Ranked: Top state government sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
PCL Construction, Stantec, and AECOM head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest state government design and construction firms, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 7, 2014
Behind the scenes of integrated project delivery — successful tools and applications
The underlying variables and tools used to manage collaboration between teams is ultimately the driving for success with IPD, writes CBRE Healthcare's Megan Donham.
| Sep 3, 2014
New designation launched to streamline LEED review process
The LEED Proven Provider designation is designed to minimize the need for additional work during the project review process.
