Sweet Noise of Improvement: The Latest on Cal Poly’s Construction Projects
With the completion of several massive construction projects this past year, it seems as though campus is finally whole again.
However, these projects were only the first of many. New project plans are wrapping up and work is scheduled to get underway soon on a new wine and viticulture building as well as a research center in the heart of campus.
Throughout the 2017/18 academic year a number of projects came online that have supported many different groups around campus. Below is a rundown of projects that Facilities Management and Development has recently completed, is currently working on, or will be coming up.
Completed Projects
- Yakʔitʸutʸu
This development has been a major success for Cal Poly, as freshmen enjoy the contemporary student housing.
- Doerr Family Field
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes as well as intramural sports teams take advantage of the extra training facility on campus.
- Oppenheimer Family Equine Center
With its 60,000 square foot riding arena, stallion barn and foaling barn, this new equine center was also recently completed.
- Gold Tree Solar Farm
Finished in January 2018, this farm meets 25 percent of Cal Poly’s energy demand. Beyond environmental benefits, the solar farm will save the university approximately $10 million in utility bills over the next 20 years.
Projects Underway
- Vista Grande Dining Complex
The highly anticipated, $36 million state-of-the-art dining complex will offer six varied food venues wrapped in a LEED Gold certified building.
- Baggett Stadium Enhancement Project
The upgrade to the baseball facilities will not only bring an upgraded Dignity Health Baseball Clubhouse to campus but also increase the seating capacity to 3,500.
Upcoming Projects
- JUSTIN and J. LOHR Center for Wine and Viticulture
A complete winery with labs, meeting rooms, and faculty and student offices, the Wine and Viticulture Center construction will begin in January with completion near June 2020.
- Science and Agriculture Teaching and Research Center (SATRC)
The Science and Agriculture Teaching and Research Center will support educational priorities, including the latest learning pedagogies, state-of-the-art faculty/student research space, student collaboration spaces, faculty and staff offices, conference rooms and general classrooms. This project will increase available space for the College of Science and Mathematics, the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences (CAFES), the College of Liberal Arts as well as general university classrooms. Work on the SATRC is scheduled to begin June 2019.
- Plant Sciences Complex
This anticipated project will consist of new greenhouses and support facilities, a fruit and vegetable processing and research facility, a plant sciences teaching and research laboratory building, a storage facility for restricted products and equipment, and a farm store. This will replace a portion of the Crop Science Complex (building 17).
Currently in the feasibility and fundraising phase, the Orfalea College of Business intends to expand in order to produce more flexible learning spaces. The current building has fairly rigid and defined classroom spaces that do not allow for maximum flexibility. A feasibility study was conducted in 2015/16 and the first project will focus on the area located at the southern corner where buildings 2 and 4 adjoin.
Also in early stages of development are plans to update space in the College of Engineering projects center. Wanting to morph into a more hands-on transportation and mobility-based facility, the college is looking to relocate the projects center from its current site on Via Carta to the parking lot behind Engineering 13.