The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) has selected SOM in association with Mithun to oversee the design and construction of seven new student housing buildings, called “San Benito,” on the northwest corner of the main UCSB campus.
The student housing project—the first in a two-phase effort to substantially increase the number of student beds on campus by 2029—will provide 2,140 much-needed beds by fall 2027. When complete, it will be the first student housing project on the campus in a decade.
The San Benito project will create a new vibrant hub for student life in a corner of the campus that has historically been home to sports, recreation, and the university’s facilities management complex. Navigating a site constrained by fault lines, a protected habitat, and a complex topography, San Benito introduces a new residential community with improved campus connections and inclusive shared spaces, indoor and out.
“The design for San Benito extends education beyond the classroom to amplify UCSB’s learning ecosystem,” said SOM Partner Olin McKenzie. “We envision a campus that is interconnected with the surrounding natural environment, based on radical inclusion, and fostering community at a variety of scales.”
Four rows of six-story to eight-story residential buildings will span the site from east to west, angled and staggered to capture natural light, ocean breezes, and north views of the Goleta Slough and coastal range. The buildings are set atop a two-story plinth of amenity and support spaces that knit the multi-building complex together as a neighborhood, activate the surrounding campus, and connect to garden courtyards. The high performance design is targeting LEED Platinum certification and will leverage Santa Barbara’s mild climate to provide passive ventilation for the majority of the building system.
Construction for phase one is expected to begin in 2025. Planning and design for phase two of the project—student residence halls on the southeast end of campus also designed by SOM and Mithun—is expected to begin this summer.
