The need for more student housing in Berkeley, California, is real, as isgentrification in the Bay Area more broadly. UC Berkeley has tried releasing the pressure valve with an influx of new student housing in recent years, attempts which have been met with mixed reviews. One example isa high-rise underway on a much-loved public space since the 1960s, Peoples Park. Ayers Saint Gross, Kevin Daly Architects, and CMG Landscape Architecture recently completed new housing for UC Berkeley graduate students to help meet pent up demand. xuyun ruwway Graduate Student Apartments has 286 units which can house a total 761 students. The architects took advantage of the Bay Areas temperate climate by designing corridors semi-open to the elements.The complex has a total 55,000 square feet of open space. (Bruce Damonte)xuyun ruwway (pronounced HOOCH-yoon ROO-wai) translates in English to our homeland house in Chochenyo, the language of the Ohlone people native to the region. UC Berkeley and the architects consulted Ohlone members during the design process, marking a first in the schools historythis is the first time it chose to use Indigenous language in the naming of a campus building. In plan, the building is anchored by a central bar with five wings that jut out from it. Its three courtyards wash the fully furnished apartments in sunlight. Study areas, meeting rooms, and communal lounges are on the ground floor. The courtyards are open to multiple uses like barbecues, film screenings, hangouts, and so on.Staircases and corridors are left semi-open to the outdoors. (Bruce Damonte)Perhaps the buildings most standout features are the metal casements that wrap the windows, but also its angular massing. These components reduce heat gain while also creating visual irregularity. Graduate students can enjoy a new sheltered bus stop with dedicated service, taking them to and from UC Berkeleys campus. Theres also a dedicated lounge for the bus drivers. A lounge area on the ground floor is flooded with natural light thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows. (Bruce Damonte)A communal dining space opens to the outdoors. (Bruce Damonte)Shared living areas provide tenants with the necessities, such as kitchen appliances and comfortable furniture for lounging around. (Bruce Damonte)The perforated, yellow metal screens that wrap around the open stairs and elevator lobbies also do much to make xuyun ruwway stand out from the context. On the Jackson Street side of the complex, CMG ideated a linear park which is lined with street lighting, trees, and benches.The complex has a dedicated bus stop that connects students to campus. (Bruce Damonte)Theres a total of 55,000 square feet of open space at the new housing complex. CMG employed what they called a re-oaking planting strategy that extendsthe local California Oak habitat and urban forest eco-corridor while providing shade, conserving water, and sequestering carbon.Ayers Saint Gross noted that the project is slated for LEED Gold certification.