COSTA MESA, Calif.—General contracting company C.W. Driver Companies has broken ground on Orange Coast College’s new chemistry building, a $32.5 million project that will offer up-to-date lecture halls, laboratories, faculty offices and other amenities.

The two-story, 43,800-square-foot building will be home to nine laboratories that can accommodate larger class sizes while simultaneously providing individual workstations for students. Furthermore, the chemistry building will offer the latest technology, HVAC equipment as well as outdoor study areas to take advantage of Southern California’s climate.

The design for the new building, as imagined by tBP Architecture, will feature room-length windows that allow for faculty, other students and curious visitors to observe chemistry instruction and experimentation at work.

However, for the science building to be realized, C.W. Driver will first need to demolish the existing Literature & Languages Building, which was constructed on the same space in 1976.

“Seeing these new buildings take shape on campus, and knowing that we have been a big part in their creation, brings us great satisfaction,” David Amundson, C.W. Driver’s project executive, said of his firm’s ongoing work at Orange Coast College, which also included building the campus’s Language Arts & Social Sciences Building, Kinesiology and Athletics Complex and Student Union Complex.

The chemistry building is expected to be ready sometime near the end of 2024.

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COSTA MESA, Calif.—C.W. Driver Companies has announced the completion of a $61.5 million Language Arts and Social Science Building at Orange Coast College (OCC). The three-story, 107,760-square-foot facility houses classrooms, office spaces, conferences rooms and support spaces, including a computer lab for English as a Second Language, facilities for speech, debate and theater, and a journalism newsroom for the college’s student-run newspaper, Coast Report.

Part of a larger initiative to modernize the campus and accommodate growth over the past decade, the Language Arts and Social Science Building includes new indoor labs for the psychology, economics, English, world languages and communications departments, and indoor/outdoor laboratories for the geography and anthropology departments, as well as storage spaces. The second floor comprises classrooms and connects to the existing adjacent Mathematics Business and Computer Center Building through a new skyway bridge. The third floor is home to additional classrooms, faculty offices and administrative offices.

“With many of its original buildings dating back to the 1950s, Orange Coast College sought ground-up construction of a modern, tech-enabled facility that would bring faculty and students together from similar departments under one roof,” said Dave Amundson, project executive at C.W. Driver Companies. “The Language Arts & Social Science Building will serve nearly 25% of the campus enrollment, fostering a centralized community of learning while being adaptable to education needs for many years to come.”

The building replaces the 60-year-old social sciences classrooms and 50-year-old literature and languages building, which were inefficient and largely in disrepair. Additional features include essential modern elements such as two elevators, a lactation room and gender-neutral restrooms on every floor. Funding was provided 50/50 by California State Proposition 51 and by Measure M, a $698 million general obligation bond provided and supported by the local community to modernize education facilities for all universities within the Coast Community College District.

“Every hour the C.W. Driver Cos. team was on our campus, they worked with us as true partners and advocates, delivering solutions that ensured the project met financial and timeline objectives,” said Rich Pagel, vice president of administrative services at Orange Coast College. “Their expert team built OCC a state-of-the-art facility that will serve as a premier interdisciplinary learning hub for residents of Orange County and beyond.”

C.W. Driver Companies partnered with tBP Architecture on the Language Arts and Social Science Building. In addition, C.W. Driver Companies managed the construction of OCC’s Kinesiology and Athletics Complex and Student Union Complex. Other notable higher education projects include the Pomona College Rains Athletic Center; California State University Dominguez Hill’s Science and Innovation Building; Mesa College’s Fine Arts Building; Chapman University’s Keck Center for Science and Engineering; Cal Poly Pomona’s Student Services Building; and Vanguard University’s Waugh Student Center.

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COSTA MESA, Calif.—C.W. Driver Companies, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, just broke ground on Orange Coast College’s (OCC) new $50 million Language Arts and Social Science Building. The three-story, 107,760-square-foot building is part of a larger initiative to modernize the campus and accommodate its rapidly expanding enrollment. It is C.W. Driver Companies’ 10th project for OCC and is expected to complete in Summer 2021.

The Language Arts and Social Science Building’s first floor will house classrooms, labs, an English as a Second Language (ESL) computer lab and room, facilities for the Speech, Debate and Theater Team and a journalism newsroom. The second floor will be comprised of classrooms and connect to the existing Mathematics Business and Computer Center Building, while the third floor will encompass division and faculty offices. The building also will feature two elevators, a lactation room and gender-neutral restrooms on every floor. C.W. Driver is partnering with tBP Architecture on the project.

“C.W. Driver has an extensive history working on a wide range of projects for Orange Coast College, and we are happy to once again be working with their team,” said David Amundson, project executive at C.W. Driver Companies. “This facility will provide a modern, tech-enabled environment for students to learn and collaborate.”

This building is financed through a combination of funding from California Proposition 51 and Measure M, a $698 million general obligation bond provided to construct education facilities for Coast Community College District. In addition to the Language Arts and Social Science Complex, C.W. Driver Companies is managing several other projects currently under construction at Orange Coast College, including the Student Union Complex and Kinesiology and Athletics Complex.

“The new Language Arts and Social Science Building is a key component of Orange Coast College’s current and future growth,” said Rachelle Favis, program manager, Measure M, at Coast Community College District. “We look forward to seeing how this facility will further enhance the campus and academic experience for our students, faculty and staff for many years to come.”

In addition to 10 projects for OCC, C.W. Driver has completed projects for San Diego Community College District, Long Beach City College, South Orange County Community College District, North Orange County Community College District, Mt. San Jacinto Community College District, Rancho Santiago Community College District, Desert Community College District and Riverside Community College District, among others.

C.W. Driver Companies is a premier builder serving California since 1919; it is a leader in general contracting and construction management services.

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