Cal-State Long Beach Adding 424-Bed Residence Hall as Part of Expansion

By Eric Althoff

LONG BEACH, Calif.—Ground has broken at Cal State Long Beach for the new La Playa Residence Hall, a 108,000-square-foot student housing project from designer Perkins&Will and constructed by Swinerton. The $115 million project encompasses three five-story buildings surrounded by outdoor amenities such as dining commons, a welcome plaza and a shared lawn.  La Playa represents just one piece of the State of California’s Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program to increase the number of below-rate rental options for on-campus student housing.

Being built by Swinerton at the Hillside Housing village, La Playa Residence Hall will contain 424 beds in various dorm room configurations in single- and double-occupancy student rooms as well as faculty accommodations. The ground floor will offer a kitchen, and every floor will also include study areas and lounges. La Playa will also host a 2,000-square-foot multipurpose room and music practice rooms as well as additional offices for the school’s Counseling and Psychological Services program.

“We expanded on the village feel of the surrounding Hillside Housing community by dividing the project into three structures connected by bridges,” said Yan Krymsky, principal and design director at Perkins&Will’s Los Angeles studio. “This gives the project a more approachable scale and preserves open space on campus.”

David Damon, principal and global higher education practice leader at Perkins&Will, said that his firm’s design aesthetic focused on scale, identity and community.

“Each of these drivers strategically shaped the highly bespoke design concept for La Playa Residence Hall,” he said. “This makes the project truly unique compared to traditionally shaped residence halls. By increasing bed capacity and transforming the student experience, an intentionally informed framework, the University will absolutely differentiate itself when it comes to recruitment and retention.”

La Playa Residence Hall will aim to open for students in time for the fall semester of 2026.