GPI Companies & UC San Diego Open Academic Facility in La Jolla

GPI Companies opened a Class A facility in July of 2024 that will be occupied by the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Offering collaborative resources for numerous programs, the 112,000-sf building will serve as a vibrant destination for innovation, lifelong learning, and workforce training. Both the Division of Extended Studies and UC San Diego Health Sciences will occupy space in the five-level structure, which includes a café on the ground floor.

Gensler's vision for the public-private project (P3) created a flexible environment that can easily adapt to new programs and requirements. All the classrooms provide mobile furniture to enable diverse pedagogies, with modular partitions to accommodate different group sizes. The university's academic mission is extended even further by hybrid instructional venues with advanced technologies for remote learning. Office areas for faculty and staff supply a range of settings from open workstations to enclosed meeting rooms and private booths. 

Representing an expansion of the seven-acre La Jolla Wellness Center, the sustainably designed building is expected to achieve a minimum of LEED Silver certification. Swinerton was the general contractor with B&G Consultants acting as project manager. The development was executed using a sale/long-term leaseback structure whereby UCSD purchased the site and leased it back to GPI. Keyser Marston Associates assisted with the financial pro forma analyses and negotiations support for this complex P3 transaction.