Campus Housing: Growing a Community within a Community
October 18th, 2008

After a decade of practicing architecture in Reno, M. Boone Hellmann came to San Diego in 1985 to attend law school. In the interim, he took a job at UCSD as a project manager. Then, in 1988, Hellmann became the associate-vice chancellor for Facilities Design and Construction and Campus Architect for UCSD. He now has a staff of 60 to oversee planning and construction.

The challenges and opportunities over the last twenty years have been mind-boggling for the university and Hellmann. Student population has grown from 9000 to 27,500. The need for additional housing, recreational facilities, an expanded Student Union has brought about an unprecedented building boom. Despite ever-burgeoning construction costs, building must continue to satisfy demand. With this building comes the responsibility of preserving and protecting the landscape and designing energy-efficient, green buildings. UCSD has chosen to “self-certify” its new construction using LEED standard guidelines and going beyond the requirements.

Residential construction is only one part of the building boom. Facilities for science and medical research are a high priority. The hospital has expansion plans and Scripps Institution of Oceanography Robert Paines Scripps Center Is due to open this year. The Jacobs School of Engineering Academic Courtyard, a complex of 3 buildings is now open. (Look for the stone teddy bear by sculptor Tim Hawkinson.

In 2004 the Eleanor Roosevelt Campus (Fifth College) was designed by Moshe Safdie. He was given 12 acres to develop a whole new campus with its own facilities. (Note: Taal Safdie and Ricardo Rabines presented this design to FSDA in 2003.) In 2005 the Price Center Expansion Design won an AIA award. Rob Quigley, the architect who designed the yet-to-be-built Downtown San Diego Library, designed the award-winning UCSD Student Academic Services Facility this year. Other construction projects and expansions include the Shiley Clinical Eye Center, Conrad Prebys Music Center, San Diego Supercomputer Center and Hopkins Parking Structure (one solution to the never-ending parking problem). Stirring excitement now is the North Campus Housing project of 8 buildings and encompasses 2 parking lots.

As a relatively new university, UCSD has developed its own modern eclectic style of architecture suited to its beautiful setting high on a mesa of 1200 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean and sensitive to its unique environment.