A new Mesa Court community center, which has been in construction for two years, is now ready for students to use. The project was completed on Aug. 26 and is the last step in a broader Mesa Court Expansion that started in 2014.
The 32 million-dollar expansion includes a new 230-seat dining hall on the first floor, and an expansion of the original center’s amenities.
The Oasis, the dining hall, was built to accommodate overcrowding at The Anteatery, which resulted partly from a Mesa Court Residents Hall expansion that added 424 beds last year, said Michael Morrell, Interim Head of UCI Design and Construction Services. The Oasis will offer menu items that are different from what The Anteatery provides, and will start with approximately 50 student employees.
“[UCI] Housing just noticed that during the hot breakfast and lunch and dinner hours that there would generally be some lines outside Mesa Court,” Morrell told New University. “That facility was designed with the community in mind … they wanted to offer another option to help relieve some of that.”
The Mesa Court expansion started in 2014, with the construction of the three original towers, followed by the completion of Oso Tower in 2025. The latest development is the last step in the expansion for now and was not originally part of the plan.
Each stage of the expansion was presented to the UC Regents by Chancellor Howard Gillman along with representatives from UCI Housing or Design and Construction Services.
These projects are a part of a 20-year-long Long Range Development Plan (LRDP), a framework for campus expansion set in 2007 that is now in its final year, that established that housing would expand to provide for 50% of UCI enrollments. The LRDP was amended in July to include a separate housing project — managed by American Campus Communities — that would add 1,100 beds to the East Campus Apartments.
The center’s expansion was a collaboration between UCI Design and Construction Services, UCI Housing and UCI Dining, all of which participated in a one-year planning process. After a competitive bidding process and a construction company was chosen, the original community center was completely demolished and the new structure was built. Construction of the center was completed in about two years.
The new center is the first building on campus to be built using mass timber, according to Morrell. Heavy or mass timber produces less carbon emissions than steel and concrete. The Oasis is also the first all-electric dining facility on campus.
The amenities on the second floor were built with the goal of offering students a better selection of study spaces than what the old center offered. This includes a mix of isolated and integrated areas, both large- and small-group study rooms and an outdoor balcony.
“What I love is when the building opens and you go in like every day for a week and you see students start to make the building come alive and where they find their space,” Lou Gill, Senior Director of Undergraduate Housing Residential Life, told New University. “I think for me, I’m excited to see students use the space and make it their own.”
UCI Housing and Aramark, the company that oversees UCI Dining, contributed to the cost of the project using funds from student rent and dining plans.
Melissa Falkenstien, Senior Director of Facilities Operations & Capital Projects, said that the project took into account student input, which came from Undergraduate Student Housing surveys, focus groups and feedback from resident assistants and student staff. Surveys include questions about what kinds of facilities and study spaces students enjoy, as well as what they want to see changed. They also voted on naming the dining hall “The Oasis” and on some parts of the building’s design.
According to Falkenstien, elements of the center’s design, such as the floor-to-ceiling windows, are meant to pull students into the surrounding environment. Heaters on the first floor’s patio and shaded areas allow students to comfortably spend time outside, she said.
While the community center is now open to students, The Oasis will not be available until week one, according to Gill.
Mariam Farag is a 2026-27 Managing Editor. She can be reached at manager@newuniversity.org.
Edited by Geneses Navarro.
