Anchored by a 22-story North Tower (Rya) and a 23-story South Tower (Vela), Pepper Canyon West is an urban gateway to the heart of campus and is the university’s first-ever upper-division student housing project.

Funded in part by the State of California’s Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program, the $352 million student housing project provides below-market-rate rental options to 1,316 transfer and upper-division students, improving access to housing and higher education in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country. UC San Diego’s housing program has also become one of the largest in the nation, enhancing the student experience while promoting environmental stewardship.

Clad in glass with perforated metal sunshade elements, the project’s façade design was inspired by the bark of native canyon trees in Pepper Canyon and across campus. Six outdoor terraces (three on each C-shaped building) wrapped in trellis canopies and overhung by an array of vine species provide soft shading and natural dappled light to students studying or socializing, while five wood-paneled welcome lounges inspired by the surrounding canyon’s volumetric “carves” offer smaller spaces for gathering or personal use toward the entrances of each of the buildings.

All units are identical and designed for single occupancy to promote equitable living and safeguard students from potential illness. They are arranged in six-to-eight-bedroom apartment suites and surrounded by communal spaces for studying and events to create communities at multiple scales and foster companionship, alongside amenities such as coffee shops, game rooms and a fitness center opening to the outside. Rya contains 35 lounges ranging in size from a 220-square-foot corner lounge to a 2,125-square-foot lounge facing east on the top of its tower, while Vela contains 34 lounges ranging in size from a 220-square-foot corner lounge to a 1,509-square-foot lounge facing west and the ocean on the top of its tower.

Courtyards integrate with open spaces, bicycle paths and walkways. Adjoining the building courtyards, the six-acre open space preserve recreates a rustic canyon at the heart of the new precinct—filled with native plantings, art, walking trails, outdoor study spaces and extensive stormwater mitigation infrastructure. Other programmatic elements include 6,650 square feet of ground-level retail, an arts complex, the Epstein Family Amphitheater and numerous STEM buildings.

New shuttle and trolley stops are easily accessible to students without a car, underscoring the university’s commitment to the reduction of greenhouse gases. The project is targeting LEED Gold Certification.

Design: Perkins&Will
Photography: courtesy of Perkins & Will