Student housing development on Chapman University campus includes adaptive reuse of 1918 packing house

A new 402-bed student apartment building for upperclassmen is being built alongside the adaptive reuse of a 100-year old packing house for Chapman University in Orange, Calif. The project is a collaboration between KTGY Architecture + Planning, Togawa Smith Martin, and AC Martin.

KTGY’s role for the project was to ensure project consistency with KTGY-prepared Specific Plan Design Guidelines, coordinate with the various design firms, provide design recommendations, and shepherd the project through the approval process.

AC Martin, meanwhile, was in charge of the adaptive reuse of the Santiago Orange Growers Association Packing House. The front portion of the main packing room will become classrooms, offices, and the possible new home of Chapman University’s Hillbert Museum of California Art. The rear portion of the packing room will also be reserved for university uses but will also include the excavation of a large courtyard that will expose the basement level to the sunken courtyard area. The new courtyard will provide a common area for students living in the adjacent apartment building.

The Packing House’s exterior will be restored through the removal of later additions, the restoration of the original paint and colors, and the installation of building signage that replicates the original.

Togawa Smith Martin designed the associated apartment building. The building’s design will reflect the industrial character of the Packing House and will provide 402 beds.

“In designing the new building, it was important to balance the demand for student housing with preserving the historic character of the site. The new building needed to be large enough to accommodate the number of beds without overwhelming the adjacent Packing House,” says Ken Ryan, KTGY Principal and Head of the firm’s Community Planning and Urban Design Studio, in a release.