Sierra College in Rocklin will soon start construction on a modern $84M science building featuring updated labs, collaborative spaces, and a 120-seat planetarium.
ROCKLIN, Calif. — Sierra College is set to transform its Rocklin campus with a brand-new state-of-the-art Science Building, marking a major step in its ongoing campus modernization efforts.
The 65,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to begin construction this spring and is expected to open by summer 2028.
The $84 million project is funded through a combination of state funding. Sierra College Measure E bond money and additional district resources.
Once completed, the building will house the college’s biology, chemistry, physics and astronomy departments, offering updated, ‘right-sized’ science labs designed to support modern instruction and collaborative learning.
A centerpiece of the new building will be a 120-seat planetarium, along with student collaboration areas on the second floor.
The facility’s lobby will feature both static and dynamic museum exhibits, but the college has yet to determine which natural history displays will rotate and which will remain permanent.
Jerry Azevedo, a spokesperson for Sierra College, clarified that the current Science Building, Sewell Hall, will remain in use during construction.
“The college isn’t demolishing its current Science Building to build a new Science Building,” Azevedo says. “The building demolished, known as the M Buildings, were traditional lecture classrooms that happened to sit in the planned location for the new Science Building.”
Sierra College’s facilities team added that once the new building is complete, many spaces in Sewell Hall will be repurposed for other academic and campus needs.
During construction, the majority of science courses will continue in Sewell Hall, ensuring students’ schedules remain largely uninterrupted.
The new building is part of a larger effort to modernize the Sierra College Rocklin campus, replacing older facilities that no longer meet the college’s instructional and safety standards.
The previously demolished M Buildings were already vacant as most of their classes had moved to the college’s newer Q Building.
“With updated labs, collaborative spaces and the new planetarium, this project will provide students and faculty with the tools needed for a modern science education,” Azevedo said.
Construction is expected to begin soon, with the facility ready to welcome students and faculty by summer 2028.
