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Architecture
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| # 265 |
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| Completion |
1 / 2026 |
| Specific Use of Building |
Academic, Residential, Administrative, Recreation |
| Project Location |
La Jolla, California |
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Context
Ridge Walk North Living and Learning Neighborhood is a paradigm shift in student housing at UC San Diego. Conceived as the new home for Thurgood Marshall College (TMC), the project imbues the college’s legacy of activism and social engagement on the 10.4-acre site. Shaped by the college’s legacy of social activism, a historic eucalyptus grove, and the chancellor’s vision for a distinctly coastal living, the design strengthens pedestrian continuity, expands campus life, and establishes a new social and academic center for the college.
Program/Scope
The 971,712-square-foot mixed-use neighborhood integrates 2,400+ undergraduate housing beds in eight and 10-bed suites, lecture space, the School of Economics, TMC’s administration, Amazon marketplace, glass blowing studio, e-sports lounge, a basic needs center, student support functions, and outdoor recreation into a dense framework of campus life. Pathways and shared commons site academic, residential, and social activity into an interwoven living-learning experience.
Budget/Cost
Delivered through a stipulated-sum design-build process, the project achieved nearly one million square feet of program at approximately $650/SF in 2025. Density was concentrated within efficient 17-story, 15-story, and 10-story residential buildings using repeated floor plates to maximize constructability, preserve open space, and reduce infrastructure demands. An additional 400 beds were incorporated after award with no impact to schedule.
Challenges
The project was designed and delivered in 33 months from award. The site has over 50 feet of grade change sloping away from the Pacific Ocean, complicating access to views, daylight, and natural ventilation. The university required high density, useable outdoor space, and a housing scale that reflected the ethos of TMC. Academic space needed to retain autonomy from residential use but feel like a cohesive neighborhood.
Solution
To solve these unique needs, the project’s “Woven Home” concept interweaves architecture, landscape, circulation, and student life. Buildings are positioned perpendicular to the coastline and grade change to provide equitable access to views and breeze. The design is shaped and threaded together through connecting pathways, courtyards, and intentional visual connection from Ridge Walk to Geisel Library. Elevated, publicly accessible, rooftop spaces connect TMC’s ethos of equity and inclusion with the chancellor’s goal of promoting coastal living. Fewer taller buildings preserve open space. The architecture draws from traditions of weaving, craft, and cultural patterning to produce a texturally rich neighborhood shaped by shadow, color, material depth, and coastal views.
Sustainable Design
Passive design strategies, high-performance systems, and sustainable site strategies reduce operational demand while improving occupant comfort. Building orientation and massing optimize daylight, coastal airflow, and natural ventilation. Electric heating is supported by photovoltaics. Native landscaping and open space retain rain water. The project targets LEED Gold certification and achieves an EUI of 17 kBtu/sf/yr, equating to a 79% reduction below baseline. Terraced landscapes support stormwater management, biodiversity, and heat-island reduction. |
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