Saddleback College Science and Math Building

A Place for STEM Collaboration & Community

The new Computer Science and Math Building at Saddleback College is under development in Mission Viejo, California. This reconstruction advances the flagship Computer Science and STEM programs, providing a career-focused platform for industry educators and experts to engage future professionals in their fields.

The three-story building includes active learning labs, a collaboration resource center, faculty pods, and community spaces. Special STEM-focused areas include a cybersecurity lab and server featured on the first floor that places engineering on display, as well as the “cloud room”, named for the periscope oculus window that offers a quiet study retreat.

HGA’s holistic design approach led to a series of work sessions with college leadership, faculty, and student representatives to learn from those who would be using the space. The team then formed a comprehensive plan to connect the new building with the South campus through architecture, programming, landscape, and movement.

The facade features a stepped composition of three glass pavilions that compliments the campus’s unique hillside topography on all three levels, creating an iconic exterior image for the new building.

Landscape design includes a pedestrian bridge and outdoor plaza with native flora, comprised of drought-resistant plant varieties. An outdoor amphitheater is tucked into the hillside, rising toward the second level of the building. Above it all, a green roof conserves energy and also features rooftop terraces. Expansive windows allow connection between indoor and outdoor experiences, flooding light into the space.