Groundbreaking Set
March 6 For Newest Addition To
Graduate Student Housing At UC San Diego

February 19, 2009

By Pat JaCoby

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the Health Sciences Housing Project, the newest effort in a goal by the University of California, San Diego to house 50 percent of its students on campus, will be held at 10:45 a.m. March 6 at its future location, now Parking Lot 604.

Health Sciences Housing Project Model

The project will provide housing for 450 single graduate and professional students in 225 apartments, and is scheduled to open in the fall, 2010.

The groundbreaking will include remarks by Chancellor Marye Anne Fox, Dean of Graduate Studies Kim Barrett, Graduate Student Association president Nick Saenz, and representatives of the design firm.

Project cost is $67.1 million, and while most state-funded construction projects are at a standstill because of the economy, Mark Cunningham, executive director of Housing and Dining Services, said this campus housing project can proceed because it is a self-supporting operation and not dependent on state funding.

He noted that because of the current recession, the project can take advantage of lower material and construction costs while aiding the local economy by providing some 150 immediate jobs for builders and workers. The buildings will be LEED-Silver certified green structures.

Cunningham said the campus currently houses 2,600 graduate and professional students, but that demand continues to outstrip availability. Eight hundred beds for graduate students were added just 18 months ago.

Meanwhile, construction is in the final stages on the North Campus Housing project for transfer students. Completion is expected in time for the fall, 2009 quarter.

Media Contact: Pat JaCoby, 858-534-7404