Can local grad students solve the pyramid puzzle that is the Chet Holifield building?
The funky, beige Ziggurat in Laguna Niguel is being auctioned this summer, the second attempt to sell the campus after a first effort failed last April. So far, there are few options on the table for what to do with the 89-acre complex completed in 1971. In the initial auction, the feds required any new owner to preserve the seven-story building.
Also see: Laguna Niguel’s ‘Ziggurat’ could be demolished if 2nd auction succeeds
Now, two teams of students from Chapman University and UC Irvine have a unique challenge in front of them: Figure out the best way to repurpose the federal building. The property, originally intended for use in the aerospace industry, includes two land components and more than 1 million square feet of building space. And don’t forget all 4,777 parking spaces.
The OC Real Estate Challenge — hosted by the trade group NAIOP SoCal — is the third for the Orange County universities. The original program, now 25 years old, pits teams from USC and UCLA each year with a similar goal and a silver shovel prize. Last year, the LA teams pitched redevelopment plans for the south blimp hangar in Tustin (the one that didn’t burn). UCLA won the coveted shovel.
The Orange County teams, aspiring to win the Orange Cup, will present their projects April 17 at Chapman University.
More on the building: Laguna Niguel’s $70 million Ziggurat auction is wasted opportunity
We asked NAIOP SoCal for some details on what the students must do in this commercial real estate contest. Their answers have been edited for length.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about the scope of the challenge and what the students must conceive is possible?
A: Each student team is given a request for proposal developed by NAIOP SoCal on behalf of the joint constituents. In this case it’s the General Services Administration, which owns the property, and the city of Laguna Niguel….
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