Replacing over 10 acres of surface parking at the western edge of UCSD’s campus, the new Theatre District Living & Learning Neighborhood introduces housing for over 2,000 undergraduate students, interwoven with academic facilities, campus arts venues, and access to the adjacent La Jolla Playhouse.
Anchored by five mixed-use buildings, the site introduces new dining options, interdisciplinary classrooms, and a mobility hub that consolidates bike, shuttle, and rideshare services. But beyond its academic and residential offerings, the neighborhood foregrounds a layered open space strategy—interweaving courtyards, trails, and restored habitat to support ecological function and student well-being.
The landscape builds on the site’s proximity to the campus’ Historic Grove and Coastal Sage Scrub Preserve, restoring portions of coastal forest while extending native corridors throughout the district. Stormwater is managed through a series of stepped basins and bioswales known as The Ramble, which doubles as a connective green spine and social commons. Outdoor classrooms, shaded seating areas, and walking paths are integrated throughout the site plan, encouraging passive recreation and everyday engagement with the landscape.
Targeting LEED Platinum certification, the neighborhood includes all-electric buildings with low-carbon materials, passive ventilation, and high-performance envelopes. In the landscape, native and climate-adapted plantings reduce water demand and heat retention, while permeable paving and smart irrigation support long-term sustainability. Taken together, these elements signal a broader campus shift toward denser, greener development—and a long-term investment in climate-responsive student housing across several of the university’s new developments.
CyFair College
The CyFair College Campus is a model for environmentally responsible development and restoration of a sensitive ecosystem. Located on the suburban fringe of northwest Houston, it is surrounded by the Katy Prairie, an endangered ecosystem of coastal prairie grass meadows marked by groves of trees and connected to a system of wetlands, bayous, and ponds.
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Northwest Vista College
Northwest Vista College is situated in the oak covered hills west of San Antonio, with beautiful views toward the city and surrounding valley. Previously the design team completed an extensive master plan that accommodated for the expansion of the college facilities to three times its current size. The design seeks to sensitively integrate the nearly 400,000 s...
Westmark School
Westmark is a private, second-through-12th-grade school focused on providing quality education to students with learning differences. The project itself has been divided into five separate phases, which will include site renovations for classrooms, courtyards, playgrounds, etc. The school provides a unique student experience that re-envisions traditional educa...
Stanford University Campus Planning and Projects
Over the past 20 plus years SWA has been working with Stanford University to reclaim the 100 year old master plan vision of Leland Stanford and Frederick Law Olmsted for the campus. This series of campus improvement projects has restored the historic axis, open spaces and landscape patterns. With Stanford Management Company, SWA designed the Sand Hill corridor...