California State University Long Beach’s new dormitory is one of California’s most sustainable

California State University Long Beach (CSULB) has completed the first student housing project on the campus in 34 years. Dubbed the Hillside Gateway building, the project is located on the Northwest side of campus, where Atherton Street and Earl Warren Drive meet. The project also included the construction of the new Housing Administration Office.

The entire project is LEED Platinum with the housing portion obtaining a partial Petal Certification for Living Building Challenge project certification. The Administration Building will receive certification for FULL Living Building Challenge. It is only the third project in California to receive this level of sustainability and the 23rd in the world.

The project includes a state-of-the-art mechanical design that incorporates the latest high efficiency Variable Refrigerant Volume technology. Additionally, 100% of the site’s stormwater will be managed on site through capture and/or infiltration with ground water recharge.

The completed 90,000-sf, four-story housing building includes 472 beds, pod study rooms, kitchens, and community space. The dormitory is a figure-eight shape, which allows for courtyards with benches, seating, and hammocks.

The 15,000-sf Administration building features common spaces, open kitchen areas, music practice rooms, and office space. A heat recovery system takes excess heat from equipment, occupants, and lighting and moves it to rooms with windows and exterior walls, improving the energy efficiency during the winter months.

Gensler was the project’s architect, Glumac was the criteria engineer, and McCarthy Building Companies was the design builder.