On Feb. 26 the University of California, Davis officially broke ground for The Green at West Village, a campus apartment project that is currently the largest student housing development in the country.
Set on 34 acres, the project will have space for up to 3,300 students across nine four-story buildings. Indoor and outdoor community space, recreational fields, and a 10,000-sf community building are included in the development. The community building will comprise a fitness center, a multipurpose room, and student support services.
See Also: Fallingwater Institute’s summer residency programs have a new educational hub
Originally planned with 1,875 beds, the design team developed a plan that cut back on space for student vehicles, which allowed for more residential units. In addition to adding more beds, the new approach will also help strengthen pedestrian and bike culture throughout the campus, according to Stantec, the project’s architect.
The design team is using Prescient’s Digital Thread during the design and construction of the project. This software is based on a model-centric design and planning platform and connects projects from the initial architectural design through the finished building to create an orderly progression while connecting all members of the build team.
The project, which has a goal of 100% zero net energy use on an annual basis, is expected to have the first 1,000 beds ready and available to students for fall 2020. In addition to Stantec, the building team includes CBG Building Co. (general contractor) and The Michaels Organization (developer).
Related Stories
| Sep 12, 2011
Living Buildings: Are AEC Firms up to the Challenge?
Modular Architecture > You’ve done a LEED Gold or two, maybe even a LEED Platinum. But are you and your firm ready to take on the Living Building Challenge? Think twice before you say yes.
| May 18, 2011
Major Trends in University Residence Halls
They’re not ‘dorms’ anymore. Today’s collegiate housing facilities are lively, state-of-the-art, and green—and a growing sector for Building Teams to explore.
| May 18, 2011
Raphael Viñoly’s serpentine-shaped building snakes up San Francisco hillside
The hillside location for the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine building at the University of California, San Francisco, presented a challenge to the Building Team of Raphael Viñoly, SmithGroup, DPR Construction, and Forell/Elsesser Engineers. The 660-foot-long serpentine-shaped building sits on a structural framework 40 to 70 feet off the ground to accommodate the hillside’s steep 60-degree slope.
| Apr 13, 2011
Duke University parking garage driven to LEED certification
People parking their cars inside the new Research Drive garage at Duke University are making history—they’re utilizing the country’s first freestanding LEED-certified parking structure.
| Apr 12, 2011
Rutgers students offered choice of food and dining facilities
The Livingston Dining Commons at Rutgers University’s Livingston Campus in New Brunswick, N.J., was designed by Biber Partnership, Summit, N.J., to offer three different dining rooms that connect to a central servery.
| Apr 12, 2011
College of New Jersey facility will teach teachers how to teach
The College of New Jersey broke ground on its 79,000-sf School of Education building in Ewing, N.J.
| Mar 23, 2011
After 60 years of student lobbying, new activity center opens at University of Texas
The new Student Activity Center at the University of Texas campus, Austin, is the result of almost 60 years of students lobbying for another dedicated social and cultural center on campus. The 149,000-sf facility is designed to serve as the "campus living room," and should earn a LEED Gold certification, a first for the campus.
| Mar 18, 2011
Universities will compete to build a campus on New York City land
New York City announced that it had received 18 expressions of interest in establishing a research center from universities and corporations around the world. Struggling to compete with Silicon Valley, Boston, and other high-tech hubs, officials charged with developing the city’s economy have identified several city-owned sites that might serve as a home for the research center for applied science and engineering that they hope to establish.
