Located in San Francisco’s Tenderloin and Civic Center neighborhoods, UC Law SF’s newest building helps address the city’s housing crisis by providing student housing at below-market rental rates. The $282 million, 365,000-sf facility at 198 McAllister Street enables students to live on campus while also helping to regenerate the neighborhood.
Designed by Perkins&Will’s San Francisco and Boston studios and developed by Greystar, the 656-unit Academe at 198 is the latest addition to UC Law’s Academic Village. The student apartments are mostly efficiencies and studios, while group study rooms allow students to come together outside their own rooms.
In addition to residences for graduate students and faculty, the Academe at 198 offers common spaces, academic classrooms, and food and retail options. The student housing building also has two courtrooms for students to practice law in the same physical layout they’ll find in the real world.
The building façade’s texture suggests the verticality and relief of the columns of a courthouse. The residential block’s organization exposes the interior life to sunlight and sky, while at the same time sharing the building’s activity with the surrounding neighborhood.
Student housing development offers ‘calm oasis’
As a counterpoint to the urban lobby, the courtyard provides students a calm oasis that’s isolated from the street. The courtyard’s blue shades transition from darker at the top to lighter at the bottom, which makes the garden feel brighter.
The LexLab, an innovation hub for connecting with local tech companies, is both a workspace and event space and overlooks the lobby atrium. On the seventh floor, the Skyline Lounge is open to both residents and the larger academic community. The lounge and terrace are situated at the roof level of the neighboring buildings.
Perkins&Will describes the project as “a multi-disciplinary hub for education and community living in the heart of San Francisco. The project embodies an innovative approach to housing for multi-disciplinary learners with intentional placemaking, and is a transformative investment intended to catalyze growth by providing an affordable place to live in an economically challenged community.”
On the Building Team:
Owner: UC Law SF
Developer: Greystar
Architect: Perkins&Will
Civil engineering: Langan
MEP engineering: Taylor Engineers / The Engineering Enterprise
Structural engineering: Rutherford + Chekene
Contractor: Build Group
Recent Student Housing News:
Related Stories
Student Housing | Mar 27, 2024
March student housing preleasing in line with last year
Preleasing is still increasing at a historically fast pace, surpassing 61% in February 2024 and marking a 4.5% increase year-over-year.
MFPRO+ Research | Feb 28, 2024
New download: BD+C's 2023 Multifamily Amenities report
New research from Building Design+Construction and Multifamily Pro+ highlights the 127 top amenities that developers, property owners, architects, contractors, and builders are providing in today’s apartment, condominium, student housing, and senior living communities.
Student Housing | Feb 28, 2024
Mary Cook Associates completes interiors for luxury student housing community
Chicago-based interior design firm Mary Cook Associates announced it has completed the interiors of Lapis, a new 1,086-bed off-campus luxury student housing community near Florida International University.
Student Housing | Feb 21, 2024
Student housing preleasing continues to grow at record pace
Student housing preleasing continues to be robust even as rent growth has decelerated, according to the latest Yardi Matrix National Student Housing Report.
Student Housing | Feb 13, 2024
Student housing market expected to improve in 2024
The past year has brought tough times for student housing investment sales due to unfavorable debt markets. However, 2024 offers a brighter outlook if debt conditions improve as predicted.
Industry Research | Feb 8, 2024
New multifamily development in 2023 exceeded expectations
Despite a problematic financing environment, 2023 multifamily construction starts held up “remarkably well” according to the latest Yardi Matrix report.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 5, 2024
Wood Partners transfers all property management operations to Greystar
Greystar and Wood have entered into a long-term agreement whereby Greystar will serve as property manager for all current and future Wood developed and owned assets.
University Buildings | Jan 15, 2024
The death of single-use university buildings
As institutions aim to improve the lives of their students and the spaces they inhabit, flexible university buildings may provide an all-in-one solution.
Student Housing | Jan 12, 2024
UC Berkeley uses shipping containers to block protestors of student housing project
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.