New Student Facilities Open In Time for Fall Semester

Page members of the UC Merced 2020 project team just rubbed shoulders with former US Secretary of Homeland Security and current President of the University of California System, Janet Napolitano, at the recent grand opening of Phase 1 of UC Merced’s ambitious expansion. The tenth and newest campus in the University of California system set a goal of adding approximately 1.2 million “Triple Net Zero” gross square feet: zero net energy usage, zero landfill waste and zero net greenhouse gas emissions.

Page designed two student housing facilities to address existing and future demand for on-campus housing. One has been completed and was celebrated as part of the Phase 1 grand opening. The other will be finished before the 2020 deadline. The first building, known as Granite Pass, is a dual-sided structure and the first side will be occupied for the Fall 2018 semester. The second side also is completed but scheduled for occupancy in 2020, giving the university flexibility to open it sooner if desired.

Page’s other student housing facility is currently under construction and scheduled for student occupancy in 2020 but likely will be completed and available earlier if the university identifies an opportunity to do so. Both residence halls can be seen in a video produced by UC Merced detailing its 2020 Vision. To view it, click here.  

Both student housing projects are classified as mixed-use, a growing trend in upper academia. They include retail spaces, academic classrooms and student-life programing within the ground floor of each building. The designs are intended to facilitate the development of student communities at multiple levels -- from dormitory rooms to community spaces and from pedestrian streets to large outdoor plazas.

The grand opening was a significant milestone in a two-decades long journey. Page Principal Barbara Maloney and current project team member served as Campus Planner for the initial 2002 UC Merced Long Range Development Plan. The LRDP established the vision for the campus, articulating the underlying ideas that established its siting, layout, and character and that have informed the current campus expansion.

For more information about this milestone, visit the UC Merced website here.

To learn more about the project, click here.