Kresge College by Studio Gang ADC

At the University of California, Santa Cruz, Studio Gang has extended Kresge College, adding three residential halls of residence and a College Academic Centre.

Buried among a forest of Redwoods, the college’s expansion riffs on its original design from 1973 by architects Charles Moore and William Turnbull of  San Franciscan practice, Moore, Lyndon, Turnbull, and Whitaker. The angular architecture of Moore and Turnbull has been paired with new, organic elements such as curvilinear shapes, natural materials, and porous spaces that aim to enhance the accessibility of the College and establish stronger connections with the surrounding natural ecology and the broader UCSC campus.

Studio Gang, who is headquartered in Chicago with offices across the U.S. and in Paris, used mass timber to construct the college’s new residential halls which cater for 400 new students. The new halls are among the first cross-laminated timber buildings to be built in the state and work around the site’s natural topography to fit into the woody surroundings, maximising shade from the tree canopy, which in turn reduces cooling loads on the buildings. New social spaces found at ground level, comprising lounges and a new café, which latch onto existing social areas across the street to create an open and convivial public realm.

The new Kresge College Academic Center, meanwhile, spans 3,200 square metres and encompasses new classrooms, academic offices, faculty meeting spaces, and conference rooms, as well as a 600-seat lecture hall, the largest of its kind on UCSC’s campus. Situated on a ridge between two ravines, the building addresses the steep slope by employing a technique reminiscent of polypore fungi — simultaneously stepping down the incline and flaring out. Such an approach ensures that the relatively large structure maintains harmony with its surroundings at the upper street level, all while facilitating the infusion of natural light and fresh air into the lower floors.

The design of the centre also incorporates the restoration and expansion of Kresge’s historic tunnel system, allowing circulation pathways to work in sync with the site, directing, capturing, and filtering stormwater for subsequent reuse.

“Our goal was to add new qualities to the sense of place offered by Moore and Turnbull’s design, rather than to replicate the architecture,” said Jeanne Gang, founding principal and partner, Studio Gang in a statement. “We wanted our expansion to retain the qualities of surprise and free-spiritedness that have defined Kresge College, while at the same time opening it up to students of all abilities, the incredible natural ecology of its site, and the larger university community beyond.”