The Tulare COS campus is expected to receive a new building within the next year. As part of the five-year construction plan for new facilities on all COS campuses, Tulare will be receiving a new Building D.
The project was fully funded by the district and cost $31.6 million in total. The building is taking up 40,000 gross square feet. Construction started in December 2022 and is planned to finish sometime in the fall of 2024.
This new building was referred to as “Tulare Center Phase II, Academic Buildings” within the construction plan. Now formally referred to as Building D, it will open up new facilities that specialize in HVAC, industrial maintenance, electrician training, industrial automation, automotive, and construction technology. In addition to being a new building, it will also lead to the relocation of all programs from the TCC Downtown Annex, the Visalia Cedar building, and ag mechanics.
The project also looks to include more than just labs for the aforementioned fields; it also looks to add offices, outdoor work areas, and computer labs. Creating a new space for those within various vocational areas on a campus that is not visited often by many. This project breathes new life into a campus that otherwise has very little to offer.
“I believe this building will open the door to more opportunities for students on campus,” said Andrew Hernandez
Hernandez is an architecture student here at COS and spends a lot of time on the Tulare campus. When talking to Hernandez about the new building, he talked about the fact that not many people have to go to Tulare due to it being more specialized for certain majors, like architecture. This new building can bring new students to an area that needs more of a student community.
“Building D is going to bring more students to the Tulare campus, unifying the community more,” said Meriah Perez.
Perez is also an architecture student at COS and had the same grievances as Hernandez regarding the community on the Tulare campus. Many people are sharing the same thoughts about having a new community to look forward to with this new building.
