Kresge College Expansion: A Pioneering Model of Mass Timber University Architecture by Studio Gang

Redefining Academic Living Through Sustainable Innovation

Studio Gang’s transformative expansion of Kresge College at the University of California, Santa Cruz, marks a defining moment in mass timber university architecture. Completed in 2023, the project introduces four new buildings that include three cross-laminated timber (CLT) residential halls and a 37,000-square-foot Academic Center. Nestled within the lush redwood landscape of UCSC, the expansion not only responds to a growing demand for student housing but also upholds the College's founding ethos of participatory democracy and ecological stewardship.

Continuity and Evolution of Campus Identity

First envisioned in 1973 by Moore, Lyndon, Turnbull, and Whitaker, Kresge College’s original architecture was grounded in angular, communal forms embedded within nature. Studio Gang’s contemporary intervention does not replicate the past but rather builds upon it through organic design strategies, such as curvilinear forms, porous spaces, and natural materials. These gestures foster a sense of place that is both familiar and novel, respecting legacy while inviting new modes of interaction and accessibility.

Innovative Use of Mass Timber in Academic Architecture

At the core of the project is the use of mass timber, making Kresge one of the first examples of CLT buildings in California’s higher education system. The residential halls, designed to house over 400 students, bend around old-growth trees and embed themselves in the sloping topography to minimize ecological disruption. Bird-safe glass with custom fritting depicts local species, including the iconic banana slug, blending biodiversity with thoughtful materiality.

The academic center, which steps and flares like polypore fungi across a ridgeline, introduces UCSC’s largest lecture hall — a 600-seat amphitheater designed to embrace both slope and sunlight. With integrated academic offices, faculty meeting rooms, and study lounges, the center acts as a connective and intellectual anchor for the campus.

Accessibility, Ecology, and Community Integration

Studio Gang’s intervention goes beyond architectural form — it actively restores ecological flows and increases social accessibility. The expansion revitalizes Kresge’s historic runnel system to filter and reuse stormwater, reestablishes wheelchair accessibility across previously inaccessible ravines, and rebuilds bridges to reconnect the college to UCSC’s broader pedestrian network.

The participatory planning process engaged a wide spectrum of stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, and local residents, through town halls and workshops over an 18-month planning period. This co-creation methodology reflects Kresge’s democratic ideals, ensuring the built outcome resonates with the lived experiences of its community.

A Sustainable Blueprint for the Future

The Kresge College expansion is not a standalone achievement — it is part of a longer-term vision initiated by Studio Gang's 2019 campus plan. While the first phase delivers key infrastructure for academic and residential life, a second phase led by EHDD and Truebeck Construction is underway, slated for completion in 2025.

Together, these efforts articulate a bold, climate-conscious future for higher education — one where mass timber university architecture is not only a structural choice but a catalyst for environmental, social, and academic resilience.

All Photographs are works of  Jason O'Rear