Final Construction Beam Placed on Academic East Building

Construction company McCarthy celebrated the topping off ceremony for the Pierce Academic East Building on Monday, December 16, 2024. The ceremony represented a signficant milestone in the construction of the building when the final steel beam would be installed. Attendees of the ceremony signed their names on to the steel beam, putting their mark on the building for generations to come. 

The Academic East Building is the future home of the Computer Science & Information Technology, Mathematics, and Psychology departments. The Building is designed to address the western San Fernando Valley's micro-climate with punched windows to take advantage of natural light and minimize solar heat gain. The central courtyard adds outdoor shaded study areas to reduce the heat island effect. The project includes a 3,800-square-foot bio-filtration planter surrounded by a tree grove with drip irrigation, which will reduce water use by 50%, and an efficient building utility management system. 

The Academic East Building is made possible by LACCD’s 2016 Measure CC and is projected to open for academic instruction in early 2026.