Architectural Record has published the first look at the design for University of California, Santa Barbara’s new East Campus Student Housing, designed by SOM in collaboration with Mithun.

Continuing the partnership with UC Santa Barbara, this project marks the second phase of a major effort to expand student housing across campus by 2029. Alongside the San Benito Student Housing project on the northwest edge of campus, East Campus will help the university meet critical housing demands with 1,688 new undergraduate beds.

Four new buildings ranging from six to eight stories will replace the former Santa Rosa Hall and an adjacent surface parking lot. The design staggers the building volumes along the site, opening up the end of the campus Science Walk, turning what was once a dead-end parking lot into a shared green squad that connects academic buildings, dining halls, and the coastline.

The building forms shift as they rise to self-shade the facade and create deep corner windows with ocean views. At ground level, earth-toned block masonry anchors the structures into the landscape. Above, light corrugated aluminum panels reflect the changing coastal light throughout the day.