Student Housing

BERKELEY, CALIF. — The University of California, Berkeley has completed Anchor House, a 772-bed residence hall for transfer students. The 14-story community spans 450,000 square feet and offers 244 units in studio, two- and four-bedroom configurations. Apartments are fully furnished and offer private bedrooms with built-in desks, full kitchens and in-unit washers and dryers. Shared amenities include a central courtyard with multiple outdoor terraces and balconies; outdoor space for work and gathering; maker space run by the Berkeley Art Studio, which hosts classes for students and the community; a culinary classroom and rooftop vegetable garden for the Rausser College of Natural Sciences; two event spaces with catering kitchens; and an 8,600-square-foot fitness center with a yoga and meditation room. The community offers flexible rent prices to help transfer students with low-income backgrounds and first-generation college students. The development team for the project included Morris Adjmi Architects, BDE Architecture, BCV Architecture, Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture, PAE Engineers, BKF Engineers and Luma Lighting Design. The development was funded by philanthropic donations and opened ahead of the 2024-2025 academic year. The development team is also targeting LEED Gold certification for the property.

FULLERTON, CALIF.  — Sundt Construction has broken ground on the redevelopment of two residence halls on the California State University, Fullerton campus. The project will replace the Jewel Plummer and Cobb Residence Halls, which were the first residence halls built on campus in 1979. The new 175,000-square-foot facility will offer 500 beds in two-bedroom units with bed-to-bath parity for residents; two-bedroom apartments for staff; and one-bedroom units for residence advisors. The project will also include shared amenity space on the ground floor, an updated connection to the university’s arboretum and an 82-space parking lot. A timeline for the development was not announced. 

SAN DIEGO — The University of California San Diego has completed the Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood, a 1.4 million-square-foot development offering 2,000 beds of housing for undergraduate students. The project, which comprises five buildings, was developed on a site formerly occupied by a surface parking lot. Units, including 48 beds reserved for resident advisors, are offered at below market-rate rents. Shared amenities include a 490-seat auditorium; large community areas, including retail and dining space; a food hall; conference center with four hotel rooms; fitness center; meditation pavilion; tea house; and academic and administration space. The property also features terraced parking gardens offering 1,200 spaces for residents, faculty and daily visitors. The project’s design-build team included architect HKS, design-builder Kitchell, associate architect EYRC and landscape architect SWA.