Breaking: City College of San Francisco Celebrates Ribbon Cutting for New Student Success Center

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• Sarah Zarate, Sr. Communications Manager
• 262-224-0686
• szarate@xlconstruction.com

Breaking: City College of San Francisco Celebrates Ribbon Cutting for New Student Success Center

San Francisco, CA – August 29, 2025 – The City College of San Francisco’s Student Success Center is now complete. The building will be a campus focal point, establishing a prominent student resource hub and entrance to the 67-acre Ocean Campus. The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on August 28, 2025, marking the culmination of a successful progressive design-build project by partners XL Construction and Gensler, and in collaboration with Construction Manager, Kitchell.

Guided by CCSF’s shared governance process, the building has incorporated input from the college’s various stakeholders. More than 30 departments are now consolidated using an integrated service model, sharing common areas while having their own office space. The facility is all electric, LEED Silver, and net-zero ready.

“As a community college grad and someone who has been deeply involved in this project since 2020, I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together and eager to see the positive impact it will have on our students and community,” said Erin Allred, Project Executive at XL Construction, “It is because of the collaborative delivery approach CCSF chose that we are standing here celebrating the building’s opening today.”

Significant achievements of the project include a central Welcome Center and smart planning that actually reduced the overall space needed by 6,000 square feet thereby delivering cost savings to allow for highly durable finishes and systems. The design optimizes the program to include efficient shared spaces, remove silos between related departments, and create more flexible and equitable areas.

“The building is like a flag for CCSF at the corner of Frida Kahlo and Ocean Avenue, saying Welcome!, We are here! The design is all about offering a clear front door to campus, and a ‘flow through’ lobby that will encourage students to become familiar with the building and the services it offers all in one place, rather than distributed across the campus.” describes Sandy Mendler, Design Principal and Education Practice Leader for Gensler.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was a public event held in the new Student Success Center, featured remarks from key stakeholders and members of the project team, and included a celebratory reception.

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About XL Construction

XL Construction is a leading general contractor whose mission is to “build to improve lives.” Based in Milpitas, California, with offices in Oakland and Sacramento, XL Construction partners with today’s leaders in education, life sciences, advanced technology, commercial, civic, and healthcare sectors to create places that better their communities. Founded in 1992, the company’s focus and passion for team success have earned it a network of great partners and a reputation for putting people first. Learn more at www.xlconstruction.com

About Gensler

At Gensler, the value of our work stems from its positive impact on the human experience. We are a dynamic and collaborative design firm uniting creativity, research, and innovation to solve complex problems for our clients. Our work challenges conventional ideas about architecture and the built environment. We aren’t just designing buildings — we are reimagining cities and places that make a difference in people’s lives. Founded in 1965, Gensler has built a team of 6,000 professionals who partner with clients in over 100 countries each year. Everything we do is guided by our mission: to create a better world through the power of design.

About Kitchell

Headquartered in Sacramento since 1978, Kitchell CEM provides program management, construction management, engineering and architectural services, project controls and analytics, and facilities management. With more than 350 employees across offices in California, Arizona, Utah, and Texas, Kitchell serves clients in education, healthcare, corrections, performing arts, and public safety. Consistently ranked among Engineering News-Record’s top firms, Kitchell has also been recognized as a Top 5 Construction Management Firm by the Business Journal for 13 consecutive years—earning the #1 spot for the past three. To learn more, visit Kitchell.com.