San Diego Football Club Training Center and Right to Dream Academy
Cajon, California
Merit Award
Presented by AECOM
owner Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation and Zephyr
Leading design company executioner
General Contractor AECOM hunt
Civil Engineer Bowman
Structural Engineer Walter P Moore
MEP engineer HERE
Works manager TopOut Construction management
electrical engineer Baker Electric; LPG engineering
This 125,000 square meter campus, delivered on budget and ahead of schedule in January 2025, features a new 50,000 square meter sports performance facility along with 10 existing hotel buildings that were renovated and repurposed for student housing. It also features five full-sized soccer fields, including three natural grass fields and two synthetic grass fields.
Work began on this rapid design and build facility with only design development drawings. To maintain the aggressive 16-month schedule, key building systems such as MEP and fire protection were delivered through design-build procurement.
Strategic sequencing accommodated long lead elements such as exterior cladding, Bermuda grass turf, elevators and hydrotherapy pools. The owner was able to purchase an appliance three months in advance, so the construction team modified the schedule to achieve permanent power well in advance.
The hotel buildings were originally constructed in the 1960s and will now serve as classrooms, housing and office space. But after mold and asbestos were discovered in two of the buildings, the team immediately developed and executed a comprehensive abatement plan.
When it came time to contract the steel detailing and rebar, the contractor did so directly, an uncommon but strategic move that allowed the fabrication drawings to progress before the steel and concrete subcontractors were selected.
