At the 2018 Design Awards ceremony on Thursday, April 26th, the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) honored SOM with an award for a recently completed project on the University of California, Santa Barbara campus. The project, San Joaquin Apartments and Precinct Improvements, won a Merit Award for architecture.
SOM led a team for the master plan and architectural design of new housing and campus amenities. The project includes new housing to accommodate more than 1,000 additional students, as well as staff and faculty residences, a dining commons, a cafe, and a convenience store. At the heart of the project are the Tenaya Towers, a pair of residential buildings that frame a central plaza. With light-filled exterior stairs, balconies, and common spaces, the towers’ design supports social and academic life.
For nearly half a century, AIA San Francisco’s Design Awards program has recognized outstanding achievements in architecture and design in the Bay Area, celebrating the work of individuals in the industry.