UC Riverside’s new Student Health and Counseling Center is beginning to take shape.

The project celebrated a milestone with a topping off ceremony in early August as construction crews placed the top beam on the two-story structure. The new building will bring together medical, mental health, and wellbeing services in one convenient location and modern facility.

Construction began in February on the western portion of Parking Lot 21, south of Linden Street, between Aberdeen Drive and Pentland Way.

Six months later, the building’s basic form is now standing. The basement, first, and second floor decks have been installed while steel columns and roof beams are now set in place.

The project is expected to be completed by summer 2023 and ready for staff to move in that August, said Dexter Galang, project manager with the Office of Planning, Design, and Construction.

The topping off ceremony included the construction crew and health and counseling employees who will be working out of the new building. They signed a steel beam that was lifted to the top of the structure.

“It was a good time and great for them to see something they’ve worked so hard for coming to fruition,” Galang said.

The 39,450-square-foot building with 27,900 square feet of assignable space will house Student Health Services and Counseling and Psychological Services. They are now located in separate buildings with Student Health Services at the Veitch Building, which was built in the mid-1960s and is about half the size.