McCarthy and Gensler Partner to Win New Segundo Infill Housing Project at UC Davis

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. and Gensler are thrilled to announce their partnership on a significant new project at the University of California, Davis. The design-build team has been awarded the contract for the Segundo Infill Housing project, aimed at providing sustainable, high-quality residence halls for first-year students. The project will be McCarthy’s sixth and Gensler’s seventh with UC Davis, underscoring a proven track record of successful construction. 

“When we began discussing this project with UC Davis, we learned that it had to be more than just infill housing. It needed to be a catalyst for the future of housing at the UC Davis campus, bringing a balance of innovation, program space, and sense of cohesion and connection to campus, so we focused on those aspects in our design,” said Jeff Fuller, Project Director at McCarthy. “Working collaboratively with McCarthy, we were able to design a new model for first-year housing that increases density, while knitting together the Segundo neighborhood, and maximizing space for the community building that is so essential to student success,” said Sandy Mendler, Project Director at Gensler.   

The new $77 million infill housing project will be executed in three phases: the first two will focus on the design, and the third will cover construction. The 116,000-square-foot building will feature a unique concrete podium structure, with light-gauge steel walls prefabricated off-site, offering significant schedule and cost benefits. This innovative approach eliminates on-site framing, providing efficiency and enhancing the overall quality of construction. The project will also showcase McCarthy’s self-perform capabilities, particularly in concrete work, demonstrating their comprehensive skill set and allowing for greater control over the project's execution. 

The building layout reflects the active lifestyle of UC Davis students, including ample bike parking to accommodate the university's bike-friendly culture. The residential arrangement will feature clusters of eight rooms sharing all-gender restrooms, study nooks and lounges to foster a community-oriented living space. Additional amenities include a demonstration kitchen, Zoom rooms, outdoor gathering areas, on-site laundry, and various support facilities to enhance the student living experience. 

The McCarthy and Gensler partnership boasts a successful history of collaboration, having worked on over 24 complex projects totaling more than $1.6 billion, including eleven design-build endeavors. Beyond the collective teams’ design-build expertise, they offer a unique blend of expertise in student and group housing. McCarthy's extensive portfolio includes over 25 multi-story and group residential projects, complemented by Gensler's leadership in 50 student housing initiatives and over 391 affordable units. As the designated architect, Gensler brings contemporary insights into fostering efficient living and learning communities, aligning with the vision for the SIH project at UC Davis. 

“The Segundo Infill Housing will become the standard for student housing on campus in the future. Our team’s design solutions offer a productive yet welcoming experience for students who are looking to embrace campus life through its enriching indoor and outdoor spaces, celebration of the UC Davis bike culture and activation of the pedestrian promenade,” said Dawn Bertolani, business development manager at McCarthy Northern Pacific. 

The carefully curated design-build teams also extend beyond McCarthy and Gensler, incorporating the expertise of other key partners: 

• Buehler Engineering, Inc. – Structural Engineer 
• Psomas – Civil Engineering 
• Helix Electric – Electrical and Low Voltage Trade Partner 
• PAE - Electrical Engineer 
• Frank M. Booth, Inc. – Mechanical Engineer 
• Quadriga – Landscape Architecture 
• Guttman & Blaevoet - Energy Modeling and Mechanical Peer Review 

Superintendent Josh Gillmore, known for his exemplary leadership on past projects, will continue to oversee the development, ensuring the highest standards of construction are maintained. Project management will be led by Jeff Fuller, ensuring seamless coordination and delivery. 

Planned construction is slated to begin in spring 2025 with scheduled completion in spring 2027. 

About McCarthy 

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is the oldest privately held national construction company in the country – with more than 150 years spent collaborating with partners to solve complex building challenges on behalf of its clients. With an unrelenting focus on safety and a comprehensive quality program that spans all phases of every project, McCarthy utilizes industry-leading design phase and construction techniques combined with value-add technology to maximize outcomes. Repeatedly honored as a Best Place to Work and Healthiest Employer, McCarthy is ranked the 19th largest domestic builder (Engineering News-Record, May 2023). With approximately 7,000 salaried employees and craft professionals, the firm has offices in St. Louis; Atlanta; Collinsville, Ill.; Kansas City, Kan.; Omaha, Neb.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Denver; Austin, Channelview, Dallas, and Houston; and San Diego, Newport Beach, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento, Calif. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com or by following the company on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. 

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.