HMC Architects, Maas Companies, and Tilden-Coil Constructors celebrated the commencement of the placement of the structural steel on College of the Desert’s Indio Campus Expansion in Indio, California. The team, along with College of the Desert faculty and staff and community leaders, signed their names to a beam that will be showcased within the new building’s lobby to celebrate the construction milestone.  

The three-story, 71,000 GSF building, combined with renovations to the existing facilities, triples the size and programming of the College of the Desert’s Indio campus. An interdisciplinary blend of instructional spaces, faculty spaces, on-site food service, student study spaces, and a wide range of campus amenities and support services will grow this satellite location into a full-service campus serving the Indio community. Instructional spaces were designed to support a modern curriculum with lecture halls, classrooms, digital lab spaces, and a prominent STEAM maker space for students to build and display project-based work adjacent to one of the main outdoor gathering spots. Learning nooks and discussion areas are embedded throughout the building where informal interaction and collaboration can occur organically, and faculty offices line the corridors in these areas to encourage questions, engagement, and improved outcomes.  

An overarching goal of this project is to create a strong and distinctive sense of place. Adding a second building and expanding the site to the campus, this project creates a vibrant beacon of educational opportunity in downtown Indio. The architecture uses mid-century modern elements that tie into the main Palm Desert campus while including contemporary materials and systems that set this campus apart.  

The new building is scheduled to be completed by January 2024, and the remodel of the existing building is expected to be complete by July 2024.