City College of San Francisco’s STEAM Building is one of the first in the nation to unite science and art programs under one roof, integrating labs for biology, anatomy, and chemistry with studios for drawing, ceramics, sculpture, and more. Despite site constraints and pandemic-related challenges, the team created a collaborative, interdisciplinary space that supports hands-on learning across both art and science programs.

The STEAM building was featured in the 2025 March/April edition of School Construction News as a case study for interdisciplinary STEAM curriculum and is approximately 82,500 GSF and is a 4-story structure. The building’s design includes shared studios, classrooms, and an Innovation Center that opens to a plaza connecting to the future Diego Rivera Theater. A vibrant interior color palette, inspired by the light spectrum and Rivera’s Pan American Unity mural, supports wayfinding and enhances student spaces. On the exterior, textured concrete panels and vertical windows balance daylight, views, and energy efficiency while creating visual interest. The project also included a plaza, hardscape, landscape, rainwater harvesting system, and utility improvements at the Ocean Campus.

BKF Engineers provided civil engineering design and construction support services for site layout, grading, accessibility, hardscape, stormwater management, and utility improvements.