Photos courtesy of MUSD and QKA; Renderings by Robert Becker
Phase Three Adds Workforce Development and Early Childhood Education Research Center to First-of-its-Kind Learning and Career Training Hub
MILPITAS, Calif, April 28, 2026 – This week, Milpitas Unified School District (MUSD), along with project partners and community supporters, celebrated the groundbreaking of Phase Three of its Innovation Campus. Providing future-ready learners with multifaceted opportunities to support a variety of career pathways, the project’s final phase brings a Workforce Development and Early Childhood Education Research Center to the campus. All phases of the MUSD Innovation Campus have been designed by Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) and built by Blach Construction (Blach), with TBK Construction Management serving as construction manager.
“The multi-year development of this project at the intersection of global Silicon Valley has allowed us to see the benefits these facilities and programs are already bringing to our students, residents and businesses,” said MUSD Superintendent Cheryl Jordan. “Thank you to our Milpitas voters, MUSD team members, families and students, as well as our dedicated MUSD Innovation Campus project team for their support in helping us bring a new era of progressive learning to Milpitas.”
The Milpitas Innovation Campus’s final phase will provide two separate buildings dedicated to Workforce Development and Early Childhood Education Research. The 9,000 square-foot Workforce Development Center will provide meeting rooms, offices, conference rooms, a cafe, kitchen, and lobby. Designed for flexibility, the meeting rooms will be separated by operable partitions and can be combined into one large space for conferences and MUSD Board of Education meetings. The kitchen will open to a covered outdoor dining area adjacent to the campus’s existing main quad, providing additional gathering space. The 3,500 square-foot Early Childhood Education Research Center will consist of two classrooms with restrooms, along with breakout and administration spaces.
“Phase Three is the cornerstone of the MUSD Innovation Campus as it provides our industry, governance, community organizations and educators with a place to convene in partnership for work-based learning and durable skills development for career and life,” continued Superintendent Jordan.
“The success of this unique multi-phase project can be highly credited to the close collaboration of all members of the project team, alongside Milpitas Unified School District,” said QKA President Aaron Jobson. “Our design goals have been focused on providing adaptable learning environments that can support not only various ages, but a wide range of subjects and industries that will help prepare this community for the workforce.”
Phases One and Two of the MUSD Innovation Campus have now been open since Fall 2023 and Fall 2024, respectively. Collectively, all seven buildings provided throughout the project’s first two phases feature a variety of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) classrooms and labs, career development spaces, administrative offices and conference rooms, independent study spaces and multiple indoor and outdoor collaboration areas. Phase One’s initial buildings house the MUSD District Office, the MUSD Adult School and the Milpitas High School Extension at the MUSD Innovation Campus. Phase Two included the construction of two new, L-shaped classroom buildings surrounding a central courtyard. These serve as a permanent home to Calaveras Hills High School (CHHS), enabling the alternative school to expand its program offerings. Additionally, an existing building was modernized to provide Career Technical Education (CTE) lab space for robotics and advanced manufacturing courses.
The six new buildings included in Phases One and Two were erected using Folia, a flexible, durable, prefabricated classroom building solution exclusive only to Blach, QKA and GPLA Structural Engineers and Builders.
“We are thrilled to break ground on Phase Three of the MUSD Innovation Campus, bringing the community one step closer to the final completion of this important resource,” said Brad Fannin, project executive at Blach. “Utilizing innovative solutions like our prefabricated Folia system has allowed us to ensure the project has remained on schedule without sacrificing quality and the district’s programming goals.”
Prioritizing sustainability, the project has been designed to achieve Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) certification and utilizes renewable power supplied by MUSD’s existing photovoltaic system. Each building includes sustainable materials, energy efficient lighting, all-electric mechanical systems, stormwater catchment and water-efficient landscaping.
Funding for the $90 million, nearly 100,000-sq.ft. MUSD Innovation Campus was made possible by the 2018 Bond Measure AA and California state-matching grants. Phase Three is expected to complete in Summer 2027, achieving the vision for the campus to support Milpitas learners from early childhood through adulthood.
About MUSD Innovation Campus
Through partnerships with community colleges and universities, as well as local businesses, MUSD Innovation Campus is intended to provide training and education that support growing and emerging career fields and practical career simulation. Once complete, the campus will comprise myriad classrooms, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) labs, a Learning Hub and support spaces that accommodate a wide variety of programming for Milpitas students of all ages. Specific curriculum will include adult education workforce development, business entrepreneurship, robotics, biology, virtual reality, AV production, eSports, artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer science and virtual design and construction, as well as simulation for legal, financial, manufacturing and health career training.
Specifically, it will provide dedicated space for the MUSD District Office, Adult Education Workforce Development and Calaveras Hills High School. Also, facilities have been designated as the MHS Extension, to both support the growth of its CTE and ECE programs and relieve overcrowding on the high school’s main campus. Furthermore, the MUSD Innovation Campus will flexibly accommodate learning programs provided by partner educational institutions and businesses dedicated to continuous training and development, providing certifications, badges and experience based credentials in addition to traditional diplomas.
About Blach Construction
Founded in 1970, Blach Construction delivers structures of enduring quality and value throughout California. The firm’s experience spans the education, housing, civic and workplace sectors, resulting in a diverse portfolio that includes community-focused TK-12 and higher education facilities, modern civic and workplace environments, and affordable, supportive and market-rate housing developments.
Committed to collaborative project delivery, Blach emphasizes strong partnerships that strengthen communities and advance innovative construction solutions, including its prefabricated Folia system. The firm is consistently ranked among California’s top contractors by Engineering News-Record and has received multiple Construction Safety Excellence Awards from the Associated General Contractors of California.
For more information, visit blach.com or connect with the company on LinkedIn.
