Gayley Towers UCLA: A New Chapter in Student Housing

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is currently undertaking a significant redevelopment project at Gayley Towers, an existing university-owned apartment building located at 565 Gayley Avenue in Westwood, Los Angeles. This project aims to address the growing need for affordable student housing and enhance the overall campus living experience.

Addressing the Housing Crisis: UCLA's Commitment

UCLA has recognized the increasing challenges students face in securing affordable housing, particularly in the expensive Los Angeles market. Chancellor Gene Block emphasized the university's commitment to finding less expensive alternatives for students, noting that a significant portion of the student body comes from low-income families. To address this issue, UCLA has added approximately 5,300 beds in the past five years. The university has become the first UC to guarantee campus housing for all undergraduates - four years for incoming freshmen and two years for transfer students.

Gayley Towers Redevelopment: Project Overview

The Gayley Towers redevelopment project involves transforming the existing building into an eight-story complex designed by Mithun. The current building houses 100 students, and the redevelopment will accommodate more than 380 students. The total new construction will include 187 bedrooms, with 545 beds provided through triple-occupancy rooms.

Design and Features

The environmental study describes the design as having a donut shape, which will allow an interior courtyard to be open to exterior elements. Ground floor communal spaces would be centered around the courtyard, and create a contiguous area with the main entrance. Illustrations depict a contemporary building, composed of concrete and clad in materials such as plaster, porcelain, metal, and glass.

The apartments will offer a co-living style floor plan with communal bathrooms and shared spaces for cooking, eating, studying, and socializing. Each floor contains three communal cooking stations with the university providing essential ingredients and space for personal food storage in residential units. Adjacent study lounges and dining spaces encourage community gathering for meals and other activities. A ringed circulation system ensures that no residents are isolated at the end of a hallway and provides equitable access to communal social areas.

Read also: Comprehensive Guide to UCF Housing

Affordability Initiatives

UCLA has received $35 million in state funding for the Gayley Towers project. This funding will allow 358 of the designated beds to be offered at a monthly rental rate of $600 for low-income undergraduate students. The remaining 184 beds would be priced at market rates.

Project Timeline

Work on the Gayley Towers redevelopment project is expected to begin in spring 2024, with the opening projected for fall 2026. The project construction cost is estimated at $108 million.

The Broader Context: UCLA's Housing Expansion

The Gayley Towers redevelopment is part of a larger housing campaign that has seen UCLA add approximately 5,300 new beds over the past five years. This expansion includes the Olympic and Centennial residence halls, which opened on the Hill in 2021, and the Southwest Campus Apartments, opened in 2022.

Innovative Approaches to Student Needs

UCLA's housing initiatives reflect novel approaches to address student needs. The dense housing solution transforms a challenging urban site into a vibrant living environment that delivers exceptional affordability in response to dramatic housing cost increases locally. The university recognizes that college students experience food insecurity, and the design of Gayley Towers includes communal cooking stations with essential ingredients provided.

Prioritizing Student Wellness

UCLA prioritizes student wellness in its housing developments. The ringed circulation system in Gayley Towers ensures that no residents are isolated and provides equitable access to communal social areas. The university also integrates study spaces, dining facilities, fitness rooms, and even a "maker space" into its housing complexes.

The Impact of On-Campus Living

Research has consistently shown the positive impact of on-campus living on student success. A University of Oregon study found that students who spent their first academic year in campus housing had higher grade-point averages, higher retention and graduation rates, and faster graduation times. These students also expressed more satisfaction with life, had a higher sense of social belonging, engaged in more extracurricular activities, and tended to seek out campus resources for help.

UCLA's Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, emphasized that a significant portion of learning takes place outside the classroom through internships, collaborative work, and living in a residential community with students from diverse backgrounds.

Overcoming Challenges: UCLA's Success Story

UCLA's ability to construct so much housing and charge below-market rental rates rests on several factors. The university has the land, took advantage of low interest rates and favorable financing terms, built densely, and avoided litigation from neighbors by redeveloping old buildings and removing parking lots.

A Look at Other UCLA Housing Options

Beyond the Gayley Towers redevelopment, UCLA offers a variety of housing options for undergraduate and graduate students.

Undergraduate Housing on the Hill

The Hill is UCLA's residential community, comprising several complexes organized around a common open space. Each complex has its own student services, buffet-style dining halls, and quick-service restaurants. The Hill includes traditional high-rise Halls, residential Plazas, and Suites.

Read also: On-Campus Living at UCF

Key Buildings on the Hill

Dykstra Hall: Built in 1959, Dykstra Hall was the first dorm on the Hill and the first co-ed residence hall in the United States.
Hedrick Hall: This building consists of nine floors and houses approximately 900 people.
Hedrick Summit: Hedrick Summit typically houses 1st, 2nd or 3rd year undergraduates or 1st year transfer students.
Hitch Hall: After a one-year renovation, Hitch was reopened for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Olympic Hall and Centennial Hall: Named in honor of the 2028 Summer Olympics, these buildings were completed in 2021.
Sproul Hall and Sproul Landing: These buildings were completed in September 2013.
De Neve Plaza: Two of these buildings, Holly Ridge and Gardenia Way, which are part of De Neve Plaza, opened February 2012.
Canyon Point and Delta Terrace: Canyon Point reopened following renovation during the 2013-2014 academic year.

Graduate Student Housing

UCLA offers several apartment complexes and communities for graduate students, including Weyburn Terrace, Hilgard Houses, University Village, Rose Avenue Apartments, Keystone/Mentone, and Venice/Barry.

Weyburn Terrace: This seven-building apartment community provides housing for single graduate students.
Hilgard Houses: Hilgard Houses apartments consist of two complexes located on the east edge of campus on Hilgard Avenue.
University Village: University Village provides student community living for married students, same-sex domestic partners and single parents.
Rose Avenue Apartments: Rose Avenue has 93 unfurnished units, primarily two-bedroom, located across from the University Village complex.

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