Across the West Coast, HMC Architects work on projects that shape everyday public life, including higher education campuses and civic facilities. From the College of the Desert Indio Campus Expansion to the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility, their projects focus on how people actually move through, use, and experience these spaces. The result is architecture that supports real needs rather than abstract design ideals. This spotlight takes a closer look at 10 standout past, present, and upcoming HMC projects that show how the firm blends sustainability, innovation, and human-centered design into every stage of the build.
HMC Architects
HMC Architects has been designing public buildings on the West Coast for decades, with much of its work rooted in education, civic, and healthcare spaces. With offices in California and Nevada, the firm focuses on projects that need to work well day after day. The emphasis is less on creating signature architecture and more on buildings that serve real, ongoing needs.
HMC teams regularly check in on finished projects to see how the spaces are holding up in real use. That includes noticing where layouts work smoothly and where they create friction. Those observations carry into future projects, shaping new schools, hospitals, and civic buildings based on experience rather than assumptions.
9 past, present, and future projects from HMC Architects
1. Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Redevelopment Program
- Location: Torrance, California
- Year built: 2027 (expected completion)
- Typology: Healthcare/Medical Center Redevelopment
The Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Redevelopment Program is a huge multi-building upgrade that will transform a 72-acre campus into a modern healthcare hub. The goal of the redevelopment is to make the complex medical campus easier to use and manage. New buildings bring inpatient care, outpatient services, parking, and infrastructure into a more organized layout, reducing the need to move between scattered facilities.
California’s seismic codes play a big role in how the project is designed, but performance matters too. Sustainability strategies are built in to lower energy use and create a healthier environment for patients and staff in the long run.
By reorganizing inpatient and outpatient care into carefully planned facilities, Harbor-UCLA will be able to serve the community more effectively and provide a more welcoming experience for everyone who walks onto the site.
2. Glendale Community College New Science Building
- Location: Glendale, California
- Year built: Phase one completed June 2014; Phase two completed November 2024
- Typology: Higher Education/Science & STEM
The Glendale Community College New Science Building is designed as a gateway to STEM education and a new front door for the campus. The Buena Vista science building puts labs, lecture spaces, and study areas in close proximity. With 25 labs and a 127-seat lecture hall, students can move from experiments to class to group work without leaving the building or crossing campus.
The building is organized around a central courtyard that students pass through regularly. Labs and classrooms sit along the outside edges, which keeps circulation clear. Large windows let daylight into most parts of the building. Heating and cooling are handled by updated systems, and the site was planned with space set aside for possible solar panels in the future.
3. Quail Hill Community Center
- Location: Irvine, California
- Year built: 2017
- Typology: Community + Culture/Community Center
Quail Hill Community Center is a great example of how HMC turns a neighborhood facility into a true community hub. The 19,000-square-foot center is one of the largest in Irvine and was imagined as a gateway to nature, connecting people to nearby open space and the Quail Hill trail system. Inside, it supports a mix of programs, from childhood education and art camps to fitness classes and community events, so residents of all ages have reasons to show up and spend time there.
Sustainability is built into both the site and the building. The project includes solar panels, energy-efficient lighting, low-flow plumbing fixtures, and native landscaping. The building achieved LEED Gold certification. Interior spaces are organized into four zones: classrooms, an exercise room, an arts space, and a conference area.
Outside, there are gardens and a playground that are used by different programs throughout the day. They give people a reason to spend time outdoors rather than staying inside the building.
4. City of Ontario – City Services Building (City Hall Annex)
- Location: Ontario, California
- Year built: Expected completion December 2026
- Typology: Civic/Government
Instead of sending residents to multiple addresses, the City Services Building puts several city departments in the same place. Locals can handle basic city business without moving between offices.
Inside, the layout is straightforward, with clearly defined service areas and staff spaces that bring in natural light. The building adds modern functionality to the civic campus while still fitting in with the existing city hall next door. It is designed to be practical first, with an emphasis on making routine visits easier for the public.
5. County of San Diego North Coastal Live Well Health Center Building
- Location: Oceanside, California
- Year built: Opened 2025
- Typology: Community + Culture/Healthcare
The County of San Diego North Coastal Live Well Health Center Building shows how HMC connects health services, sustainability, and community in a single facility. Located in Oceanside, the three-story center brings together programs like Aging and Independence Services, Public Health, Behavioral Health, and a Military and Veterans Resource Center under one roof, so residents can access support in a welcoming, consolidated setting.
The building is powered by solar energy and does not rely on fossil fuels. Large windows bring daylight inside, while shading and narrow floor plates help keep temperatures in check. Operable windows make use of the coastal climate when possible.
Interior finishes are simple and durable, using wood and muted colors. The project meets LEED Platinum standards and was designed with energy use in mind from the start.
6. Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) – New Campus
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Year built: Opened 2013
- Typology: Education/Performing Arts
The new Los Angeles County High School for the Arts campus is designed to give aspiring performers, visual artists, musicians, and designers a home that inspires creativity from the moment they arrive. HMC created a flexible, modern environment where students can rehearse, collaborate, experiment, and showcase their work in professional-quality spaces.
The campus combines performance spaces, studios, production labs, and classrooms, allowing students to move easily between practice and coursework. The campus includes outdoor plazas adjacent to academic and performance buildings. These areas are used during the school day.
7. College of the Desert – Indio Campus Expansion
- Location: Indio, California
- Year built: Opened 2024
- Typology: Higher Education/Campus Expansion
The Indio Campus Expansion adds much-needed space to an existing College of the Desert campus. With new classrooms, labs, lecture rooms, and a student success center, the campus can support more students and programs than before.
Student services are easier to find, and shared areas feel brighter and less closed in. The changes are practical rather than flashy, but they make the campus easier to navigate and more comfortable to use throughout the day.
8. Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility
- Location: Santee, California
- Year built: Mid-2010s (facility operating by 2019)
- Typology: Civic/Justice
The Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility is one of HMC’s most widely recognized justice projects, designed to shift the traditional correctional model toward one focused on dignity, rehabilitation, and supportive reentry. Instead of relying on a fortress-like layout, HMC created a campus-style environment that feels open, navigable, and connected, helping residents move through daily activities in a way that mirrors real community life.
Natural light, landscaped courtyards, and warm materials play an essential role in reducing stress and creating a calmer, more respectful environment for residents and staff alike. The campus includes housing, healthcare, classrooms, counseling rooms, and vocational training areas, all located within the same facility.
9. Ramón C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Year built: Opened 2009
- Typology: Performing Arts/Education
The Ramón C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts sits in downtown Los Angeles along the Grand Avenue corridor. HMC worked as executive architect on the project, which includes classrooms, rehearsal spaces, and a large theater used for student performances.
The fly tower gives the building a strong street presence, while interior spaces are set up for everyday instruction and practice rather than special events alone. The campus supports multiple arts programs and is used regularly by both students and the surrounding community.
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