UCSD Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood

The proposed Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood (TDLLN) will be a vibrant mixed-use community on a 10.9-acre site of the University of San Diego’s (UCSD) west campus. The project will consist of five buildings to house 2,000 future undergraduate students. As the project will be built on an existing surface parking lot, a new 1,200 car parking facility will be thoughtfully integrated with the structure beneath several of the new buildings. This exterior edge campus site is ideal for this new parking facility as it helps UCSD reach its goal of a more pedestrian friendly campus. Additional retail, support services, classrooms, academic spaces, offices, and a conference center round out this exciting new neighborhood.

The University was interested in extending the mobility corridor of the campus to the south on Revelle College Drive. Walter P Moore helped develop the winning design team’s master plan approach that consisted of redirecting the major vehicular traffic to the TDLLN development towards Scholars Drive away from the mobility corridor. Reducing vehicular traffic on the mobility corridor will promote usage of the increasing micro-mobility options and allow them the opportunity to prosper. Drivers are also able to quickly park upon arrival and explore the mixed-use development. The four-level subterranean structure below 6 high rise buildings will offer approximately 1,200 spaces for staff, retail and theater patrons. The structure will also include EV charging stations and bike storage spaces. 

The five new campus buildings will utilize concrete shearwalls to provide stability during earthquakes and high winds. The floors of these buildings will utilize post-tensioned concrete as this system allows for fewer columns and an economical slab thickness. Reducing the number of columns in the buildings allowed the Walter P Moore team to achieve a highly efficient parking layout below. The buildings are shaped to optimize ocean views and range in height from 8 stories up to 22 stories. In order to make the most efficient use of the floor space, the Walter P Moore team worked closely with the architect to locate walls between student apartments and around elevators and stairs. The concrete shear walls are optimized to withstand seismic forces at the site while maintaining the budgetary constraints for the project.

Walter P Moore contributed to the projects LEED goals by carefully specifying the ingredients in the concrete. Replacing large amounts of cement with other binding materials will help reduce the carbon footprint of the development and save money overall.