UC San Diego Starts Construction on 2,400-Bed Residential Complex
Local news reports that the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) will soon break ground on the Ridge Walk North Living and Learning Neighborhood, a four-building complex that will provide additional academic and residential facilities. Amenities are set to include capacity for 2,400 new beds for undergraduate students; 19 new classrooms and a lecture hall with 150 seats; space for collaboration, studying, and academic support; and administrative space for the university’s Thurgood Marshall College, Department of Economics, and the School of Global Policy and Strategy.
The project is part of a larger university goal to add about 5,700 new beds to campus by 2025. The other two planned projects are the Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood, which would house 2,000 undergraduates; and the Pepper Canyon West Living and Learning Neighborhood, which would add 1,300 single-occupancy spaces for transfer students and upper-division undergraduates.
The university is also set to break ground on a new student union for its La Jolla campus. Combined, the Ridge Walk North Living and Learning Neighborhood and the student union will cost about $1 billion, according to local news. The new union, called Triton Center, will add resources like student health and academic services, a 500-person event space, and an alumni and welcome center.
Local news reports that the university’s student population is estimated to increase by 7,000 during the next ten years. Once the three new residential villages are complete, the university would have space for 24,000 students to live on campus.
According to the university website, Ridge Walk will include student amenities like student dining, a fitness center, an eSports facility, a glass lab, and more. The university partnered with HMC/EYRC for the facility’s design and general contractor Hansel Phelps for its construction. It has an estimated completion date of fall 2025 and is aiming for a LEED Certification Goal of gold.
About the Author
Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].