SDSU Life Sciences Building

San Diego State University is constructing a new Life Sciences building on the north side of campus. The North Life Sciences Building will be 5 stories tall and 80,000 square feet in size, replacing what was previously open space that connected Parking Lot 16 to the rest of campus.

Amenities in the new building will include wet labs, computer labs, and instructional spaces–as well as facilities for collaboration between students, faculty, and the private sector.

Architecture firm SmithGroup and contractor Hensel Phelps made up the Design-Build team for the project. Construction began in early 2025, and completion is expected to be in time for the 2027-2028 academic year. With the final steel beam being placed, the building was officially topped out on April 28, 2026. Exterior wall and interior construction is now underway.

Construction camera view, captured July 25, 2026.

This project, once completed, will represent one of the first major capital investments into SDSU’s STEM program since its designation as an R1 institution. With San Diego as “one of the top biotech clusters in the country, with tens of thousands of life sciences jobs available,” it is great to see the university investing heavily into the development of the local life science talent pool.

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Sources:

https://www.ocmi.com/portfolio/education/san-diego-state-university-life-sciences-building/ 

https://sciences.sdsu.edu/sciences-building 

https://www.sdsu.edu/news/2025/02/sdsu-approved-to-begin-construction-on-new-building-for-stem 

https://www.sdsu.edu/news/2025/12/new-life-sciences-building-cements 

https://www.sdsu.edu/news/2026/04/a-high-point-for-sdsu-life-sciences