MiraCosta College celebrates completion of its new student services and administration building at the San Elijo Campus, with a virtual ribbon cutting last week.

ENCINITAS — Construction has been completed for the new Student Services and Administration Building at the MiraCosta Community College District’s (MCCD) San Elijo Campus, 3333 Manchester Ave., Cardiff. The state-of-the-art building replaced the previous administration building and provided for the consolidation of student services on campus into a single location.

The $13.9 million facility was designed to provide a welcoming new gateway for the San Elijo Campus; it is the first major new building completed under the District’s $455 Measure MM construction bond program.

“We wanted to make sure the first of the major new facilities was geared toward improving our ability to provide student support services,” said Tom Macias, MiraCosta’s director of facilities. “Not only have we centralized these services into a one-stop facility, but its position at the front of the campus also improves access and wayfinding for our students and visitors.”

The new San Elijo facility includes 10,770 square feet of space to support programs and services, including admission & records, financial aid, and counseling. It also includes offices for the campus administration. The design involved locating large portions of the building circulation to exterior covered spaces. These covered areas create seating and spaces for students to study, gather, and socialize, when they can return to campus under post-pandemic guidelines.

The building is organized along a central circulation spine with separate entrances for students; staff and faculty are located at each end. The main building lobby is situated in the southwest corner of the site, with commanding views out to the lagoon and will provide the iconic ‘lighthouse’ for the campus from Manchester Street.

The building’s facade complements the exposed bluff faces surrounding the campus, using split-face concrete blocks to mimic the texture of the bluffs. An art walk is in the building arcade and will eventually feature student murals on interchangeable wall-mounted panels.

The demolition of the existing non-functional Administration Building also allows for the creation of a campus quad. Work on the quad is scheduled to begin in spring 2022.

The MiraCosta District is also wrapping up construction on a new Student Services Center at the Community Learning Center Campus at 1831 Mission Ave., Oceanside.

Two additional renovation projects are currently underway at the San Elijo Campus. These include a $2.4 million renovation of Building 900 (Student Center) and Building 400 (Science Labs). Both projects are on track to be completed at the end of 2021.

The new Student Services and Administration Building features several sustainable design strategies, including:

• Passive sun shading/roof overhang
• Abundance of natural light inside the building via storefronts and skylights
• North-south solar orientation for the building and circulation axis
• A native species garden with low water-use plants and shrubs

An ADA-compliant student drop-off was also installed at the entry to the San Elijo Campus as part of this project.