The UC Merced 2020 project team accepted the challenge of designing, building, operating, and maintaining a $1.3 billion new campus within the P3 structure of a four-year design-build period and a 35-year O&M period. This required the teaming and trust that can only occur on a design-build project. This project totals 1,177,124 square feet throughout 14 structures to support a population of 10,000 students by the year 2020. The academic space program includes 373,400 square feet of lab/research space, instructional space, and academic office space, while the Student Life program, includes health facilities, enrollment, dining, and recreational facilities. In addition to academic and Student Life programs, the project includes outdoor space, featuring competition and athletic fields. The student housing program includes 289,600 square feet and 1,700 beds and stand-alone parking. This project is a success because of the positive impact it has had – and will have – on so many lives. Workers and team members felt privileged to work on this once-in-a-career opportunity of a project that brings higher education to California’s Central Valley.
UC Merced Campus Expansion Increases Opportunities for Central Valley Community
This expansion project is a key element of Merced’s vision, and it provides additional space to address existing student life needs and accommodate long-term enrollment growth. Two-thirds of UC Merced’s in-state applicants come from low-income families, and two-thirds are first-generation college students –the highest percentage in the UC system and a reflection of the campus’s commitment to equity and access. The project had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the local community. Of the 3,200,000 craft hours dedicated to the project, 82% of those hours were worked by residents of the San Joaquin Valley. The local hours represent over $175 million paid in wages to local workers. Over 1,300 apprentices began their careers in construction on this project, the first step in building a bright future for themselves, their families, and their community.
Design-Build Team
| Client/Owner: | University of California, Merced |
| Design-Build Firm: | Webcor |
| Architect: | Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill, LLP (SOM) & others |
| Engineer: | Thornton Tomasetti & others |
| Specialty Contractors: | Critchfield Mechanical, Cupertino Electric, Frank M. Booth, Inc., Langan (Geotechnical Engineer), Radtke, Western States Fire Protection |
| Construction Duration: | 48 Months |
| Project Cost: | $1,166,631,875.00 |
