California

BERKELEY CALIF. — American Campus Communities and the University of California, Berkeley have broken ground on a 781-bed residence hall located on the south side of the university’s main campus in Berkeley. The development, expected to house first-year students, will feature eight stories of residential and amenity space, 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and an 11,000-square-foot community center. The community center will include an “academic success center,” fitness center and student and gaming lounges. The project will also be home to 5,000 square feet of integrated space owned by Stiles Hall, a nonprofit student service group associated with the university. The public-private partnership transaction was structured under the American Campus Equity (ACE) program, which gives universities the opportunity to expand and modernize their student housing portfolio without the use of university financial resources. The development will seek LEED Gold certification. The project will include outdoor courtyards for student gathering that incorporate sustainable landscaping to treat rainwater runoff, reducing water usage by 50 percent and heat island effect by 50 percent. An expected completion date has not been announced.