A new $115 million project recently broke ground at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) that will add housing for 424 students at below-market rates. The 108,000-sf La Playa Residence Hall, funded by the State of California’s Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program, will consist of three five-story structures connected by bridges.
Each building will be surrounded by outdoor amenities, including patios, dining areas, a welcome plaza, and a central lawn. The buildings will feature a mix of single- and double-occupancy student rooms, with lounges, study areas, and maintenance facilities located on every floor. Each building will have a kitchen on the ground floor, three apartments for staff or faculty, a 2,000 sf multipurpose room, and music practice rooms. Additionally, two dedicated offices will expand the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services program to provide support for students in need.
“La Playa Residence Hall will add 424 residents to CSULB’s Hillside Housing village, improving access to affordable on-campus housing at The Beach,” says Yan Krymsky, principal and design director at Perkins&Will’s Los Angeles studio. “We expanded on the village feel of the surrounding Hillside Housing community by dividing the project into three structures connected by bridges. This gives the project a more approachable scale and preserves open space on campus.”
The second largest institution in the California State University system, CSULB (CSU) has an enrollment of around 38,000 undergraduate students and 5,562 graduate students. The campus is situated on a 322-acre campus.
Owner and/or developer: California State University, Long Beach
Architect: Perkins&Will
MEP Engineer: Glumac
Structural Engineer: KPFF
General contractor/construction manager: Swinerton
Related Stories
MFPRO+ News | Oct 22, 2024
Project financing tempers robust demand for multifamily housing
AEC Giants with multifamily practices report that the sector has been struggling over the past year, despite the high demand for housing, especially affordable products.
Higher Education | Oct 14, 2024
Higher education design for the first-gen college student
In this Design Collaborative blog, Yogen Solanki, Assoc. AIA, shares how architecture and design can help higher education institutions address some of the challenges faced by first-generation students.
Student Housing | Oct 9, 2024
University of Maryland begins work on $148 million graduate student housing development
The University of Maryland, in partnership with Campus Apartments and Mosaic Development Partners, has broken ground on a $148.75 million graduate student housing project on the university’s flagship College Park campus. The project will add 741 beds in 465 fully furnished apartments.
Student Housing | Sep 17, 2024
Student housing market stays strong in summer 2024
As the summer season winds down, student housing performance remains strong. Preleasing for Yardi 200 schools rose to 89.2% in July 2024, falling just slightly behind the same period last year.
Resiliency | Sep 3, 2024
Phius introduces retrofit standard for more resilient buildings
Phius recently released, REVIVE 2024, a retrofit standard for more resilient buildings. The standard focuses on resilience against grid outages by ensuring structures remain habitable for at least a week during extreme weather events.
Adaptive Reuse | Aug 22, 2024
6 key fire and life safety considerations for office-to-residential conversions
Office-to-residential conversions may be fraught with fire and life safety challenges, from egress requirements to fire protection system gaps. Here are six important considerations to consider.
Modular Building | Aug 13, 2024
Strategies for attainable housing design with modular construction
Urban, market-rate housing that lower-income workers can actually afford is one of our country’s biggest needs. For multifamily designers, this challenge presents several opportunities for creating housing that workers can afford on their salaries.
Student Housing | Jul 31, 2024
The University of Michigan addresses a decades-long student housing shortage with a new housing-dining facility
The University of Michigan has faced a decades-long shortage of on-campus student housing. In a couple of years, the situation should significantly improve with the addition of a new residential community on Central Campus in Ann Arbor, Mich. The University of Michigan has engaged American Campus Communities in a public-private partnership to lead the development of the environmentally sustainable living-learning student community.
Products and Materials | Jul 31, 2024
Top building products for July 2024
BD+C Editors break down July's top 15 building products, from Façades by Design to Schweiss Doors's Strap Latch bifold door.
Vertical Transportation | Jul 12, 2024
Elevator regulations responsible for some of ballooning multifamily costs
Codes and regulations for elevators in the United States are a key factor in inflating costs of multifamily development, argues a guest columnist in the New York Times.
