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10/01/25
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A new 1,568-bed student housing development at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) has just been completed. The project – the North District Phase 2 Student Housing development – was built by McCarthy Building Companies on behalf of the University along with the Riverside Community College District. (RCCD) It was designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz.
Located on UCR’s main campus, the 424k sf development is the first completed public intersegmental housing project in the country, providing affordable student housing for both UCR and RCCD students. This innovative approach provides RCCD students with access to four-year campus amenities and support services — an immersion model designed to improve academic outcomes and retention.
The $285 mil project received $126 mil in state funding through California’s Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program, reinforcing its mission to expand affordable housing access for diverse and underrepresented student populations.
Rising seven stories, the two buildings offer single- and double-occupancy rooms within 429 one-to-four-bedroom apartments complete with kitchens, living rooms, and in-unit amenities like air conditioning and high-speed Wi-Fi. The community is centered around wellness and student life, featuring a café/market, study lounges, a fitness center, courtyards, and new recreation fields adjacent to a central park.
The buildings evoke UCR’s mid-century architectural character, with a material palette of Norman brick, stucco, and exposed architectural concrete, enhanced by the scenic backdrop of rugged, semi-arid mountains that surround the campus. Their design leverages the construction typology by extending the concrete podium beyond the facade to create a monumental loggia that provides welcome shade and identity to the community’s public realm. As the campus’s second all-electric student housing project designed by SCB, it is on track to earn LEED Gold certification, with sustainability features that include energy-efficient systems, water conservation measures, and improved indoor air quality to support student well-being.
McCarthy made innovative use of prefabricated cold-formed steel (CFS) wall and floor panels. Manufactured off-site and delivered just in time for installation, these components enabled production rates of up to 18,000 square feet per week, accelerating timelines while improving safety, quality control, and sustainability.
Over 50 trained CFS crew members, along with four cranes, and lean scheduling techniques, helped drive rapid progress, allowing earlier interior buildout and ensuring housing was ready for the arrival of students for the fall 2025 semester. Zero failed inspections and full inspector-of-record (IOR) confidence in the off-site quality control process further underscored the project’s execution excellence.
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