Located in San Francisco’s Tenderloin and Civic Center neighborhoods, UC Law SF’s newest building helps address the city’s housing crisis by providing student housing at below-market rental rates. The $282 million, 365,000-sf facility at 198 McAllister Street enables students to live on campus while also helping to regenerate the neighborhood.
Designed by Perkins&Will’s San Francisco and Boston studios and developed by Greystar, the 656-unit Academe at 198 is the latest addition to UC Law’s Academic Village. The student apartments are mostly efficiencies and studios, while group study rooms allow students to come together outside their own rooms.
In addition to residences for graduate students and faculty, the Academe at 198 offers common spaces, academic classrooms, and food and retail options. The student housing building also has two courtrooms for students to practice law in the same physical layout they’ll find in the real world.
The building façade’s texture suggests the verticality and relief of the columns of a courthouse. The residential block’s organization exposes the interior life to sunlight and sky, while at the same time sharing the building’s activity with the surrounding neighborhood.
Student housing development offers ‘calm oasis’
As a counterpoint to the urban lobby, the courtyard provides students a calm oasis that’s isolated from the street. The courtyard’s blue shades transition from darker at the top to lighter at the bottom, which makes the garden feel brighter.
The LexLab, an innovation hub for connecting with local tech companies, is both a workspace and event space and overlooks the lobby atrium. On the seventh floor, the Skyline Lounge is open to both residents and the larger academic community. The lounge and terrace are situated at the roof level of the neighboring buildings.
Perkins&Will describes the project as “a multi-disciplinary hub for education and community living in the heart of San Francisco. The project embodies an innovative approach to housing for multi-disciplinary learners with intentional placemaking, and is a transformative investment intended to catalyze growth by providing an affordable place to live in an economically challenged community.”
On the Building Team:
Owner: UC Law SF
Developer: Greystar
Architect: Perkins&Will
Civil engineering: Langan
MEP engineering: Taylor Engineers / The Engineering Enterprise
Structural engineering: Rutherford + Chekene
Contractor: Build Group
Recent Student Housing News:
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Feb 11, 2023
8 Gold and Platinum multifamily projects from the NAHB's BALA Awards
This year's top BALA multifamily winners showcase leading design trends, judged by eight industry professionals from across the country.
Giants 400 | Feb 9, 2023
New Giants 400 download: Get the complete at-a-glance 2022 Giants 400 rankings in Excel
See how your architecture, engineering, or construction firm stacks up against the nation's AEC Giants. For more than 45 years, the editors of Building Design+Construction have surveyed the largest AEC firms in the U.S./Canada to create the annual Giants 400 report. This year, a record 519 firms participated in the Giants 400 report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 3, 2023
HUD unveils report to help multifamily housing developers overcome barriers to offsite construction
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in partnership with the National Institute of Building Sciences and MOD X, has released the Offsite Construction for Housing: Research Roadmap, a strategic report that presents the key knowledge gaps and research needs to overcome the barriers and challenges to offsite construction.
Student Housing | Jan 26, 2023
6 ways 'choice architecture' enhances student well-being in residence halls
The environments we build and inhabit shape our lives and the choices we make. NAC Architecture's Lauren Scranton shares six strategies for enhancing well-being in residence halls.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 19, 2023
Editorial call for Multifamily Affordable Housing project case studies - no cost to submit!
Building Design+Construction will feature a roundup of "Multifamily Affordable Housing" projects on BDCnetwork.com.
Products and Materials | Jan 18, 2023
6 innovative products for multifamily developments
Here are six innovative products for various multifamily developments, including a condominium-wide smart electrical system, heavy-duty aluminum doors, and prefabricated panels.
Codes and Standards | Dec 29, 2022
New York City multifamily owners concerned over fires caused by e-bikes
In 2022, there have been nearly 200 fires and six deaths in New York City caused by lithium-ion batteries used in mobility devices such as electric bikes and scooters.
Multifamily Housing | Dec 21, 2022
Bay Area school district builds 122 affordable apartments for faculty and staff
The 122 affordable apartments at 705 Serramonte, Daly City, Calif., were set aside not for faculty and staff at Jefferson Union High School District.
Cladding and Facade Systems | Dec 20, 2022
Acoustic design considerations at the building envelope
Acentech's Ben Markham identifies the primary concerns with acoustic performance at the building envelope and offers proven solutions for mitigating acoustic issues.
Sponsored | Multifamily Housing | Dec 14, 2022
Urban housing revival: 3 creative multifamily housing renovations
This continuing education course from Bruner/Cott & Associates highlights three compelling projects that involve reimagining unlikely buildings for compelling multifamily housing developments.
