The UC Merced 2020 Campus Expansion was a transformative, three-phase development that added approximately 1.2 million gross square feet across 13 new buildings, nearly doubling the physical capacity of the university. The project introduced academic and research laboratories, classrooms and lecture halls, dining and student-life facilities, and 1,700 beds of student housing, along with new recreation and support spaces. Completed in 2020, the expansion was delivered as the largest public-private partnership social infrastructure project completed in the United States at the time and received the 2021 DBIA National Award of Merit in the Educational Facilities category.

CMI delivered mechanical systems across a diverse range of building types throughout the expansion, including student housing, dining facilities, lecture halls, and specialized research laboratories. CMI also served as Engineer of Record for the mechanical systems supporting the project’s fully certified ABSL-3 laboratory, while the biology and chemistry research facilities incorporated more than 150 certified fume hoods. Sustainability was central to the campus-wide development, with all UC Merced buildings achieving LEED certification and 11 buildings within the 2020 Project earning LEED Platinum certification.