PCL Construction partnered with the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) to deliver the Arts & Humanities Building and the Business Technology Building on the San Diego City College Campus—designed to foster collaboration and innovation across disciplines. The two interconnect buildings create a transformative new hub for academic and entrepreneurial excellence at City College’s downtown campus.

The Arts & Humanities Building spans approximately 128,000 square feet and features classrooms, lecture halls, studio spaces for ceramics, sculpture, drawing, and graphic arts, and a 99-seat black box theater. The 62,000-square-foot Business Technology Building includes seven state-of-the-art computer labs, general-use classrooms, a lecture hall, and dedicated incubator space for student start-ups.

This LEED® Gold-certified project integrates green building strategies that exceed California’s energy efficiency standards by more than 25%. Features include stormwater management systems that reduce runoff into city drains, natural daylighting strategies, and low flow plumbing and irrigation systems that contribute to a 40% reduction in indoor water use and 50% savings on landscape irrigation.

A key technical challenge was the installation of the access flooring system across most spaces. Due to unforeseen conditions—including structural camber and minimal slab deflection—the clearance between the floor and MEP systems was reduced from four inches in the original design to nearly zero. PCL worked closely with the design team, trade contractors, and SDCCD to re-sequence work, implement custom low-profile pedestals, and re-route building systems without impacting schedule or cost. This collaborative problem-solving preserved project milestones and minimized rework.

This project not only enhances SDCCD’s academic infrastructure, it also positions PCL as a trusted higher education contractor in San Diego—bringing expertise in sustainable design, complex coordination, and community-focused building to the region’s growing educational needs.