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University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) officials recently announced that SOM and Mithun have been selected to design a new residence hall at the corner of Mesa Road and Stadium Road in San Benito County. The effort is part of a broader plan to add student housing across campus by 2029.
The announcement marks the first student housing project on campus in a decade and comes as part of the university’s 2010 long-term growth plan. In total, SOM and Mithun designed seven buildings for nearly 4,000 students on the northwest corner of UCSB’s main campus.
“San Benito’s design extends education beyond the classroom to expand UCSB’s learning ecosystem,” said as Partner Orin McKenzie. “We envision a campus based on radical inclusivity, interconnected with the surrounding natural environment and nurturing communities of all sizes.”
Aerial renderings show a number of six- to eight-storey residential towers stretching from east to west on the site. The buildings are angled and staggered to capture natural light, ocean breezes, and northern views of the Goleta Marshes and Coast Mountains.
The tentative student accommodation will be built on a two-storey plinth containing amenities and support spaces. The podium is designed to stitch together the multi-story complex to form a cohesive community, activating the surrounding environment and connecting to the garden courtyard. The architects also designed a central pedestrian promenade that runs through the building from north to south, a gesture that offers views of the Santa Ynez Mountains.
“San Benito will provide much-needed affordable apartment-style housing and amenity-rich projects with a healthy market at its core, creating a vibrant residential community in a unique part of the UCSB campus,” added Mithun Principal Damian Possidente. “Innovative living and learning environments combined with on-site student services address the full range of student needs, from academics to social and emotional well-being.”
SOM and Mithun’s architects aimed to achieve LEED Platinum certification and wanted to take advantage of Santa Barbara’s mild climate to provide passive ventilation strategies for most building systems. The project itself is divided into two phases. By fall 2027, UCSB administrators hope to have 2,140 much-needed new beds.
Looking ahead, architects are reaching out to students, staff, administrators and faculty. Planning and design for the second phase, which includes a residential tower on the southeast end of campus, will begin this summer. The design team aims to receive approval from the UC Regents in May 2024 and begin construction in 2025.
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