Student Housing
Berkeley, California
Project whereby I was engaged by the owner of a property on Dwight Way in Berkeley to prepare a design for a new separate two-story housing structure at the rear of the lot and behind an existing older two-story residence. Many years earlier, the existing residence had been carved into rental units for students of the University of Berkeley.
The owner desired to house ten students within the proposed structure, which also contained a shared kitchen, common room and a study area. I prepared a design which met all City of Berkeley requirements and received Pre-Planning approval. The owner was required to meet with an organized group of neighbors and a local historical landmarks association. Both expressed strong opposition to the owner’s intention to add more student housing upon the property (though they were both very complimentary of the architectural design respecting the context). Lacking their support--essential to proceeding with the full Planning submittal--the owner declined to pursue the project any further.
