With the commencement of Fall 2022 and UC San Diego’s rapid expansion, students and staff are faced with ever-changing campus topography upon returning to campus. Currently, UCSD has 16 projects across its main and expanded campus. The following is The UCSD Guardian’s guide to projects set to debut in the 2022-23 school year.
Epstein Family Amphitheater
Opening this fall, a 2,650-seat, open-air venue located in Earl Warren College is set to host a variety of shows, ranging from theatrical dance to rock concerts, as well as to be a space to be used by the theater, dance, visual arts and music students for performances. The amphitheater is in close proximity to the Blue Line trolley, in hopes of weaving UCSD into the larger San Diego artistic community.
The total project cost is reported to be $67.9 million, including a $10 million donation from Daniel and Phyllis Epstein. The Epstein family has previously contributed to the university by donating $25 million for Alzheimer’s research, as well as donating to ArtPower at UC San Diego and the San Diego Symphony.
The amphitheater is set to have approximately 300 performances each year, debuting with performances in October by the San Diego Symphony and artist Niki. Performances are planned to be offered to UCSD students for free or at an accessible cost.
To view the upcoming performances or reserve tickets, visit the website here.
Franklin Antonio Hall
The four-story building in Jacobs School of Engineering opens Fall 2022. The building is named after Qualcomm co-founder Franklin Antonio, who donated $30 million to the construction of the project. Antonio’s contribution was based on the premise that the building must prioritize student-faculty collaboration.
“I don’t like the idea of professors being behind a locked door,” Antonio told Triton Magazine. “One of my main requests for this building was that students be able to access professors’ offices and have direct interaction. Undergraduates, especially — they benefit tremendously from direct interaction with professors.”
To fulfill the late Antonio’s wishes, the building features 13 “collaboratories,” open spaces within the building aimed to facilitate connections and cooperation between professors and students. The $180 million building also houses a 250-seat auditorium and two 100-seat classrooms. An estimated 25% of the Jacobs School faculty will be situated in the hall.
Mandeville Art Gallery Renovations
Set to complete this Fall, the gallery renovations will include infrastructure updates as well as adding a new external entry. The new entry will display LED lights upon a canopy that will showcase dynamic images to the public plaza.
Data Science Institute
By Winter 2023, The Data Science Institute (DSI), currently located in the San Diego Supercomputer building, will be reloaded to the Literature building in Warren College. The building has been used by the literature department since 1990 but with the completion of North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood (NTPLLN), the department has since moved into their office spaces in NTPLLN. The building is undergoing renovations which include a new facade for the building, new entryway and lobby, restroom renovations, the addition of gender-inclusive restrooms, and the general revitalization of office spaces and internal infrastructure.
York Hall
The 26 year-old building in Roger Revelle College currently covered by tapestries is undergoing seismic improvements set to be completed by Winter 2023.
Pepper Canyon West Living and Learning Neighborhood
While it won’t be completed for another 2 years, the Pepper Canyon West Living and Learning Neighborhood is one of the university’s most widely-anticipated projects. UCSD received $100 million of state funding for this project from Governor Gavin Newsom’s revised state budget proposal. The neighborhood aims to ease the housing demand in the La Jolla area by providing an additional 1,300 single-occupancy rooms to transfer and upper-division undergraduate students by Fall 2024. The project includes two 22- and 23-story towers which will be connected to five-story buildings, surrounded by outdoor terrace seating, retail space, as well as two large courtyards with access to canyon trails.
To learn more about current construction projects, please click the link here.
Image courtesy of UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering
