University of California, Riverside Glen Mor 1 Student ApartmentsRiverside, CA
The University of California Riverside Glen Mor 1 Student Apartments project features new housing for 500 students and several community functions. The site also accommodates three recreation fields to support the University’s intramural sports program.
To achieve stringent budget concerns, a project goal to “prototype” the apartment buildings was defined, and two four-story prototypes emerged – a linear double-loaded corridor building whose orthogonal form compliments the recreational fields and frontage along Pentland Way; and an angular double-loaded corridor building that echoes the Arroyo edge.
The plan effectively consolidates the community’s common amenities by concentrating and stacking shared student program. The major outdoor spaces respond to a necessary grade change, with the Commons serving as the viable center and linking element of the housing community. The Plaza Level public space serves as the project’s “address” and is activated by the C-Store/Grill, Study Lounge, and apartment building entry. These spaces bracket a prominent stair to the upper Courtyard Level, creating a dramatic gateway effect.
The Courtyard Level succeeds on multiple scales; it provides a clear and direct connection between the Plaza Level and recreation fields; it has active and visible access to the Laundry, Computer Lab, Administration, and the apartment building entries; and finally, it creates an intimate residential oriented court associated with the General Study pavilion.
Appropriate to the context and climate of UC Riverside, the complementary relationship of outdoor spaces to the indoor program components define the character of the housing community.
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