The University of California, Santa Barbara’s (UCSB) newest student housing project, the San Joaquin Villages, has been honored with a National 2019 Housing Award by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in the Specialized Housing category. The development, which provides living accommodations to more than 1,000 students on the UCSB campus, was one of 12 projects to receive an AIA Housing Award this year.
The urban-style campus housing was designed as a collaborative architectural project. SOM designed Tenaya Towers and the project’s overall master plan, which integrates learning facilities, social vitality, recreation, and the highest level of environmental sustainability within a compact village environment. Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects and Kevin Daly Architects designed four additional residential complexes, KieranTimberlake designed the Portola Dining Commons, and Tom Leader Studio designed the landscape.
Built around an existing residence hall, the apartment-style housing and amenities are designed for student, staff, and faculty use. Plazas, recreational facilities, and courtyard gardens are also key components of the project. These features are designed to enhance student life and create a sense of arrival near the clusters of housing.
The AIA Housing Awards program, now in its 19th year, was established to recognize the best in housing design and promote the importance of good housing as a necessity of life. Projects are evaluated for their demonstration of design excellence, including sustainability, affordability, innovation, and social impact.
Projects are awarded in four categories: one- and two-family custom residences; one- and two-family production homes; multifamily housing; and specialized housing, which recognizes unique housing types, such as student housing, single room occupancy, independent living, residential rehabilitation, shelters, and other focused housing.
This year’s jury was composed of five design experts from across the country: Simon Ha, AIA, Steinberg Hart; Kai-Uwe Bergmann, FAIA, Bjarke Ingels Group; Elizabeth Blasius, The Architect’s Newspaper; Hans Butzer, AIA, Butzer Architects and Urbanism; and Mary Cerrone, AIA, Mary Cerrone Architects.
The AIA Housing Awards are the profession’s highest recognition of works that exemplify excellence in housing design. This year’s winners will be honored at the 2019 AIA Conference on Architecture in Las Vegas.