UC Merced To Break Ground on Classroom and Office Building

The University of California Merced is working with contractor McCarthy to construct a 92,000-sf classroom and office building, one of the first three academic buildings scheduled to open in 2004. The first American research university to be built in the 21st century, the school is being built with the latest sustainable techniques to attain a campus-wide silver certification in LEED building standards through the U.S. Green Building Council. To achieve certification, the project will maximize the use of low-emitting and recycled materials and local/regional resources during construction. McCarthy is also set to begin constructing the university’s science and engineering building later this year. The project architect is Thomas Hacker Architects of Portland, Ore.