Introducing Oso Tower

UC Irvine's newest student housing facility, the five-story Oso Tower, offers 424 undergraduate beds in suite-style quads and a new community center for first-year students, aiming to create a place of comfort and connection rooted in nature.

The nearby San Joaquin Marsh Reserve inspired the biophilic design to blur the connection between interior and exterior spaces - via wide swaths of glass, open plans and an earth tone color palette - creating a serene, grounded atmosphere.

"We wanted colors and spaces that would ensure environments that allow all occupants to find the right sensory settings to thrive," says Tim Trevan, assistant vice chancellor for student housing.

Tailored to create a sense of belonging, gathering spaces are visible indoors and out, supporting social connections. Committed to ensuring that the campus promotes inclusive and equitable practices, the tower offers an ablution room, a dedicated space for reflection and religious cleansing rituals open to all students and every community.

Trevan says student housing offers a tremendous amount of support to first-year students. "A student staff member resident assistant will be on the floor with them to help them with transitional issues and to refer them to resources, when necessary," he says. "Because they're on call, there is always an RA available to them."

Fourth-year human biology major Jonah Reyes is a returning resident assistant and will be moving into the new Oso Tower. "I commuted my first two years, and it was lonely because I didn't have a space on campus where I felt community," said the 21-year-old. "I wanted to make sure other people didn't feel like that. Becoming an RA was a way to create a space on campus and help people feel secure and feel at home."

Adriana Carriera, another returning resident assistant, looks forward to attending "welcome week" - a week full of events, both academic and social. "It's so much fun, and I always encourage my residents to go to as many activities as they can because it's a great way to meet people and get involved," she says.

UC Irvine has prioritized student housing in its long-range plan and currently houses 48 percent of its students. The school has opened approximately 5,800 new beds over the last eight years and maintains one of the largest housing programs in California among universities.

"We want students to come into our environment to learn and grow as people," says Lou Gill, senior director of undergraduate housing and residential life. "There's learning in the classroom and then there's learning to live with other people - how you navigate the exploration of yourself and the exploration of others to build a community. We're trying to prepare them for when they move out of college and what it means to be a part of a community."

Oso Tower was partially funded with a $65 million grant from California's Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program. With the revenues from this project, UC Irvine will provide 486 student housing grants totaling $3,870. Oso Tower is fully booked for the fall, and students will begin moving in on Sept. 19.

Oso Tower amenities include:

• Oso Tower housing 424 beds in suite-style quads, 2-bedroom/1-bathroom apartments
• Bathrooms offering gender-inclusive enclosed stalls with a shower, sink and commode.
• Communal kitchens
• Food lockers
• Indoor/outdoor lounge spaces with patio connection
• Study rooms on each floor
• Phone/Zoom rooms
• Quiet rooms
• Community center
• Entrance lobby with spaces to relax and study
• Outdoor gathering spaces
• LEED and FitWel Certified