SAN MARCOS, CA — California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) has partnered with national interdisciplinary design firm HGA and multifaceted builder C.W. Driver Companies to design and construct a three-story, 70,000-square-foot Integrated Science and Engineering Building. This project marks the first large-scale construction on the CSUSM campus in over 10 years.
HGA and C.W. Driver bring decades of expertise designing and constructing scientific facilities for academic institutions to the Integrated Science and Engineering Building project. The new building will support the university’s growing engineering and computer science programs with teaching and research labs, additional classrooms, student support areas, staff offices, and a cafe. It will also feature outdoor gathering spaces. Designed to achieve optimal building performance for a laboratory building and to meet the sustainability goals of CSU, the building will seek LEED Gold certification. It will eliminate the use of natural gas and rely on a forthcoming campus solar project for renewable energy.
“As CSUSM seeks to elevate its educational programs and advance scientific innovation, this state-of-the-art facility will strengthen the university’s industry partnerships throughout the San Diego region and make a substantial contribution to California’s STEM workforce,” said Kevin Donaghey, Principal with HGA. “The university’s commitment to being a sustainability leader aligns with HGA and C.W. Driver’s mission to create cutting-edge facilities that prioritize environmental responsibility and innovative performance for the next generation of engineers.”
The new building will expand CSUSM’s capacity for enrollment growth and will accommodate new programs for electrical engineering, computer science, systems engineering, and software engineering. This expansion will help address the growing demand for engineers and computer scientists from regional employers, including major companies such as Viasat, a satellite and communication services company, and Thermo Fisher Scientific, known for its analytical instruments and pharmaceutical services.
As the first academic building on the CSU project priority list, the Integrated Science and Engineering Building is expected to break ground in the summer of 2025, with completion and a grand opening scheduled for the fall of 2027.
