This month, work crews began moving furniture, fixtures and equipment into USC Village, the biggest development project in the history of South Los Angeles, which is on schedule to be ready for the fall semester at the University of Southern California’s University Park campus.
The $700 million, 15-acre USC Village, which has been in the works since 2005, will consist of six buildings with a total of 1.25 million sf of space and 2,700 student beds. There will be eight residential colleges within USC Village, four of which had been endowed at presstime.
To view a flyover of the Village’s construction site, click here.
When USC Village was conceived, it was one of the first mixed-use residential college projects in the nation, and when completed it will include 100,000 sf of retail space for 30 tenants such as Bank of America, Starbucks, Target, and Trader Joe’s (which will be welcomed in South L.A. a food desert when it comes to supermarkets).
The Village will also have food and beverage outlets, and a 30,000-sf fitness center. The Village will provide 1,200 covered bike-parking slots, and another 500 slots for day-to-day bike parking by patrons of the gym or retail stores.
The exterior design of USC Village is best described as “collegiate gothic,” and reflects the mandate by USC’s president C.L. Max Nikias that the look of the Village be connected to the rest of the campus. “We could introduce any design feature, as long as it was gothic,” says Daniel Benjamin, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Principal and Design Leader for Harley Ellis Devereaux, USC Village’s architect.
That meant a lot of detailing at the ground plane and roof level, but more traditional brick façade in the middle.
Benjamin notes that there weren’t enough masons in southern California to handle of project of this magnitude. So instead of importing workers from other parts of the state, the Building Team—which includes Hathaway Dinwiddie as the GC—decided to precast the concrete facades off site, typically delivered in 12- by 20-ft modules. Brick trimmed with sandblasted warm-colored concrete surrounds gives the buildings a three-dimensional sense of detail.
Prefabrication also cut the construction process, which began in June 2014, by nearly a year. These buildings are designed to last 80-100 years.
During the approval process, three major changes were made to USC Village’s plan, recalls Willy Marsh, USC’s director of construction. A large parking garage with a field on its roof became underground parking. High-rise residential towers became low-rise buildings. And a much larger retail center was de-emphasized. “The decision was made that retail wasn’t going to drive this project,” says Marsh.
The buildings' facade consists of precast concrete and brickface that mimics older buildings on campus. Image: USC
USC Village comprises about 20% of the University Park campus, and Nikias, says Benjamin, wanted the connections to be seamless. So the Village’s pathways and streets flow seamlessly into the larger campus’s circulation routes. More than 200 trees will be planted within and around the Village.
This campus is an integral part of the surrounding community. As part of this project, USC is providing $40 million in community benefits, including a $20 million contribution to an affordable housing fund that is managed by the city.
The number of student beds could increase to 5,000 if USC decides to redevelop a 12-acre lot adjacent to USC Village. Marsh says that project could be a decade away.
Related Stories
Adaptive Reuse | Dec 9, 2022
What's old is new: Why you should consider adaptive reuse
While new construction allows for incredible levels of customization, there’s no denying that new buildings can have adverse impacts on the climate, budgets, schedules and even the cultural and historic fabrics of communities.
Student Housing | Dec 7, 2022
9 exemplary student housing projects in 2022
Production continued apace this year and last, as colleges and universities, for-profit developers, and their AEC teams scrambled to get college residences open before the start of classes.
Student Housing | Dec 7, 2022
Cornell University builds massive student housing complex to accommodate planned enrollment growth
In Ithaca, N.Y., Cornell University has completed its North Campus Residential Expansion (NCRE) project. Designed by ikon.5 architects, the 776,000-sf project provides 1,200 beds for first-year students and 800 beds for sophomore students. The NCRE project aimed to accommodate the university’s planned growth in student enrollment while meeting its green infrastructure standards. Cornell University plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035.
University Buildings | Dec 5, 2022
Florida Polytechnic University unveils its Applied Research Center, furthering its mission to provide STEM education
In Lakeland, Fla., located between Orlando and Tampa, Florida Polytechnic University unveiled its new Applied Research Center (ARC). Designed by HOK and built by Skanska, the 90,000-sf academic building houses research and teaching laboratories, student design spaces, conference rooms, and faculty offices—furthering the school’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) mission.
Education Facilities | Nov 30, 2022
10 ways to achieve therapeutic learning environments
Today’s school should be much more than a place to learn—it should be a nurturing setting that celebrates achievements and responds to the challenges of many different users.
University Buildings | Nov 13, 2022
University of Washington opens mass timber business school building
Founders Hall at the University of Washington Foster School of Business, the first mass timber building at Seattle campus of Univ. of Washington, was recently completed. The 84,800-sf building creates a new hub for community, entrepreneurship, and innovation, according the project’s design architect LMN Architects.
University Buildings | Nov 3, 2022
New College of Medicine debuts on University of Houston’s campus
It's part of a planned medical district.
University Buildings | Nov 2, 2022
New Univ. of Calif. Riverside business school building will support hybrid learning
A design-build partnership of Moore Ruble Yudell and McCarthy Building Companies will collaborate on a new business school building at the University of California at Riverside.
School Construction | Oct 31, 2022
Claremont McKenna College science center will foster integrated disciplinary research
The design of the Robert Day Sciences Center at Claremont McKenna College will support “a powerful, multi-disciplinary, computational approach to the grand socio-scientific challenges and opportunities of our time—gene, brain, and climate,” says Hiram E. Chodosh, college president.
University Buildings | Oct 27, 2022
The Collaboratory Building will expand the University of Florida’s School of Design, Construction, and Planning
Design firm Brooks + Scarpa recently broke ground on a new addition to the University of Florida’s School of Design, Construction, and Planning (DCP).