$221M grad student housing complex debuts at UC Irvine

A $221-million student housing complex has made its debut at UC Irvine.

The Verano 8 project, located between Verano Road and California Avenue, consists of multiple buildings ranging up to seven stories in height. The complex includes a total of 1,055 student beds - catering to graduate students - as well as a community center a large parking structure with capacity for 854 vehicles.

“Having a safe and comfortable home is essential to student success,” said Gillian Hayes, dean of the graduate division in a news release. “We have long been proud of our graduate housing communities, and this new development demonstrates our commitment to continued investment in the success of our graduate students. We are proud to be the only UC campus that is able to have enough housing to guarantee access for all of our Ph.D. and M.F.A. students for their expected time to degree.”

The student housing at Verano 8 is arranged in a mix of studio, two-bedroom, and four-bedroom layouts, and is accompanied by amenities such as study spaces, a dog park, a basketball court, a community garden, and a volleyball court.

Mithun designed the project, which arranges its buildings around a network of pathways and green spaces.

"The project strives to optimize health benefits from detailed material selection to the neighborhood scale," reads a project description from the Mithun website. "Well-being is supported throughout the community with active stairs, biophilic design strategies, community gardens and interspersed lounge spaces for planned and spontaneous gatherings."

UC Irvine, which currently houses 44 percent of its total student population, is not the only So

uthern California university adding new beds to its campus. UCLA has spent nearly $900 million to add more than 5,000 beds to its Westwood campus, as well as acquiring off-site apartment complexes built by private developers.

• Irvine (Urbanize LA)