Located at a dramatic bluff-top intersection in La Jolla, CA, this 2000-bed university undergraduate housing project serves as a major public gateway to the University of California San Diego campus across from the notable La Jolla Playhouse.
Inspired by the spectacular cliff-top site and its historical ecological role as a watershed straddling ocean and canyon ecosystems, the project concept became wrapped in the idea of exponential, nested ecologies.
Through the concept of Exponential Ecology, the design team of HKS+EYRC Architects is considering all aspects of the built environment and the interrelationship of physical, social, and emotional well being. This supports the University’s mission to put student well being first and connect to the surrounding community.
Mirroring the interconnected webs in ecological science, the architectural concept can be illustrated as nested connections: that of student wellbeing to that of the greater community, mental wellness to physical wellness, science to art, and humankind to nature.
Shaped by the winds, views and solar orientation, the site plan, building forms, skins and interiors all reflect these ideas of connection – to their outdoor setting, geographical place and context, as well as the sense of home and community.
