In a feature on carbon-neutral campuses, Architectural Record highlights SOM’s planning work for UC Merced, which in 2020 became the first American public research university to achieve net zero operational carbon. After designing the university’s original master plan in 2002, SOM was selected to lead the 2020 Project—an ambitious public-private partnership to build facilities to accommodate an additional 10,000 students. Guided by SOM’s master plan, the newest UC campus doubled in size and met its ambitious sustainability goal ahead of schedule.