Add as a preferred source on Google

UC Santa Cruz Student Housing West to Ease Housing Crunch

  • 06/25/19

SANTA CRUZ, CA – The University of California Board of Regents recently approved critical new student housing projects at the UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) campus. The project, Student Housing West, is being led by national developer Capstone Development Partners, and will create more than 3,000 new student beds on campus at two sites: the Hagar Site, located near the southeast corner of the main campus and the Heller Site, located on the western side of the main campus. The project will also include a new Early Education Center serving 140 children of UCSC's students, faculty, and staff.

UC Santa Cruz Housing

Lead architect, HED, is responsible for design at the Heller Site, of approximately 800,000 square feet of undergraduate student housing across five buildings, along with a community plaza hub that includes cafe, market, and wellness amenities. HED is working with design-build contractor, DPR Construction. Walker Macy is serving as the project's lead campus planner and landscape architect for both sites. Additional design architects include Mithun and Katerra for the Graduate Student Housing building at the Heller Site. The Hagar Site design team includes Katerra for Family Student Housing and the Community Building, and SABArchitects for the Early Education Center with design-build contractor, Swinerton. Overall project cost is estimated at $713 million.

The Graduate Student Housing and Undergraduate Student Housing are a blend of apartment-style units and co-living models with shared common areas and kitchens. These were designed to achieve affordable rental rates—a key concern among students surveyed—and panelized components are expected to be fabricated off site and assembled on site.

Both project sites are being designed to achieve a high level of sustainability, including focused efforts to decrease use of non-potable water (through a dedicated wastewater treatment plant on each site) and decrease the generation of carbon and waste. In addition, the development team is striving to achieve LEED Platinum certification for both sites.

Featured

  • Texas K–12 District to Build New Elementary, High Schools

    The High Island Independent School District on the Bolivar Peninsula in Southeast Texas recently announced that construction on a new elementary school and a new high school will begin in January 2026, according to local news. Funding will come from a $27.9-million bond passed in May 2025.

  • Tennessee State University Gains Approval for New Engineering Facility

    Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tenn., recently announced that it has received approval from the Tennessee State Building Commission to build a new engineering building on campus, according to a university news release. The 70,000-square-foot, $50-million facility will play home to the university’s engineering programs and the Applied & Industrial Technology program.

  • FAU Starts Construction on Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building

    Florida Atlantic University recently began construction on a new academic building for its campus in Boca Raton, Fla., according to university news. The Kurt and Marilyn Wallach Holocaust and Jewish Studies Building will stand two stories, measure in at 22,000 square feet, and play home to the university’s Holocaust education and Jewish studies programs.

  • UCNJ Launches $30M Modernization of Physical Education Center

    The Union College of Union County (UCNJ) in Cranford, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $30-million modernization project for its Physical Education Center (PECK), according to a news release. The college partnered with DIGroup Architecture for the project’s design, transitioning the existing 42,000-square-foot structure into a campus hub for student athletics and campus life.

Digital Edition