Building 5 is part of a 20-acre bluff-top planned residential campus of 1,250 beds with city and ocean views.  Situated at the head of a pedestrian bridge, it acts as a traditional structure between an administration building and other student housing facilities on the Leavey Campus.  Its design and materials are rooted in the architectural traditions of Southern California; its planning and expression draws inspiration from Italian hill towns.

The 1 and 2-bedroom apartments, housing 180 students are planned around a 5-story terraced, landscaped courtyard.  Vibrant colors accentuate the stepped, curvilinear planter walls culminating in a 4-story tower element, as well as the eroded undulating parapets of access walkways.  The bold colors of the courtyard are symbolic of the center of student life and energy and provide an exuberant contrast to the more subdues colors of the building’s exterior which represent a more structured and formal existence.