flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

UC Berkeley uses shipping containers to block protestors of student housing project

Student Housing

UC Berkeley uses shipping containers to block protestors of student housing project

The contentious $312 million housing complex is mired in controversy and litigation.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | January 12, 2024
UC Berkeley uses shipping containers to block protestors of student housing project, Image by 2427999 from Pixabay
Image by 2427999 from Pixabay

The University of California at Berkeley took the drastic step of erecting a wall of shipping containers to keep protestors out of a site of a planned student housing complex.

The $312 million project would provide badly needed housing at the site of People’s Park. Protestors oppose the student housing project because the park is landmark site for the counterculture movement of the 1960s. Some homeless people have been camping on the site, though the university said it recently offered them shelter elsewhere.

The shipping container wall rises 15 to 16 feet at the 2.8-acre site and is a response to a mass protest last August at which people knocked down a fence that the university erected to isolate the area. The university says its new student housing complex is urgently needed, as the campus has housing for just 23% of its students.

The university must wait before starting construction until the California Supreme Court resolves legal efforts to block the project.

Related Stories

Student Housing | Oct 25, 2023

Pierce Education Properties acquires Penn State student housing

The two communities offer a wide range of amenities, including swimming pools with sun decks, study rooms with complimentary printing services, fitness centers, tennis court, and sand volleyball courts.

Giants 400 | Oct 23, 2023

Top 115 Multifamily Construction Firms for 2023

Clark Group, Suffolk Construction, Summit Contracting Group, Whiting-Turner Contracting, and McShane Companies top the ranking of the nation's largest multifamily housing sector contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors revenue for all multifamily buildings work, including apartments, condominiums, student housing facilities, and senior living facilities.

Giants 400 | Oct 23, 2023

Top 75 Multifamily Engineering Firms for 2023

Kimley-Horn, WSP, Tetra Tech, Olsson, and Langan head the ranking of the nation's largest multifamily housing sector engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors revenue for all multifamily buildings work, including apartments, condominiums, student housing facilities, and senior living facilities. 

Giants 400 | Oct 23, 2023

Top 190 Multifamily Architecture Firms for 2023

Humphreys and Partners, Gensler, Solomon Cordwell Buenz, Niles Bolton Associates, and AO top the ranking of the nation's largest multifamily housing sector architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report. Note: This ranking factors revenue for all multifamily buildings work, including apartments, condominiums, student housing facilities, and senior living facilities. 

MFPRO+ News | Oct 6, 2023

Announcing MultifamilyPro+

BD+C has served the multifamily design and construction sector for more than 60 years, and now we're introducing a central hub within BDCnetwork.com for all things multifamily.

Contractors | Sep 25, 2023

Balfour Beatty expands its operations in Tampa Bay, Fla.

Balfour Beatty is expanding its leading construction operations into the Tampa Bay area offering specialized and expert services to deliver premier projects along Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Affordable Housing | Sep 25, 2023

3 affordable housing projects that serve as social catalysts

Trish Donnally, Associate Principal, Perkins Eastman, shares insights from three transformative affordable housing projects.

MFPRO+ Blog | Sep 21, 2023

The benefits of strategic multifamily housing repositioning

With the rapid increase in new multifamily housing developments, owners of existing assets face increasing competition. As their assets age and the number of new developments increases seemingly day-by-day, developers will inevitably have to find a way to stay relevant.

Multifamily Housing | Jul 31, 2023

6 multifamily housing projects win 2023 LEED Homes Awards

The 2023 LEED Homes Awards winners in the multifamily space represent green, LEED-certified buildings designed to provide clean indoor air and reduced energy consumption.

Adaptive Reuse | Jul 27, 2023

Number of U.S. adaptive reuse projects jumps to 122,000 from 77,000

The number of adaptive reuse projects in the pipeline grew to a record 122,000 in 2023 from 77,000 registered last year, according to RentCafe’s annual Adaptive Reuse Report. Of the 122,000 apartments currently undergoing conversion, 45,000 are the result of office repurposing, representing 37% of the total, followed by hotels (23% of future projects).

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category




halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021