Cal Poly Humboldt is entering a new chapter as the third polytechnic university in the California State University system. With enrollment expected to grow, the University fast-tracked Hinarr Hu Moulik East & West Student Housing to expand access to affordable on-campus living while easing pressure on the local rental market.
Working in collaboration with SCB Architects and Sundt Construction, Groundworks Office helped transform a former industrial site just north of the main campus into a resilient residential community that strengthens the local ecology, connects to the public realm, and creates a meaningful sense of place. Two residential buildings frame a central outdoor “mews,” bookended by a campus shuttle stop to the north and a café and convenience store to the south.
Residential lobbies and student amenities—including a fitness center, recreation spaces, multipurpose rooms, and a central laundry facility—open onto the mews, making it the social heart of the project. Shaded custom seating, pedestrian pathways, and resilient native planting create welcoming spaces for both students and the broader campus community. Two additional landscaped courtyards provide distinct outdoor experiences: a quiet garden for reflection and an event lawn for gathering and recreation.
The buildings are oriented around south-facing courtyards to maximize daylight and shelter the landscape from prevailing winds. The stepped architecture and landscape draw inspiration from Northern California’s coastal and forested environment, with planting and material choices that evoke the region’s redwood forests, mudflats, and eelgrass beds. Located between two regional watersheds, the landscape was designed to contribute to the surrounding ecological system. Native and climate-adapted planting supports habitat—including species associated with the threatened western snowy plover—while creating a durable campus landscape suited to the North Coast climate.
Together, the architecture and landscape establish a distinctive residential identity rooted in Cal Poly Humboldt’s environmental values. Hinarr Hu Moulik East & West Student Housing weaves together regional ecology, student life, and the surrounding community. The result is an affordable, fully electric residential environment designed to support Cal Poly Humboldt’s continued growth well into the future.
Working in collaboration with SCB Architects and Sundt Construction, Groundworks Office helped transform a former industrial site just north of the main campus into a resilient residential community that strengthens the local ecology, connects to the public realm, and creates a meaningful sense of place. Two residential buildings frame a central outdoor “mews,” bookended by a campus shuttle stop to the north and a café and convenience store to the south.
Residential lobbies and student amenities—including a fitness center, recreation spaces, multipurpose rooms, and a central laundry facility—open onto the mews, making it the social heart of the project. Shaded custom seating, pedestrian pathways, and resilient native planting create welcoming spaces for both students and the broader campus community. Two additional landscaped courtyards provide distinct outdoor experiences: a quiet garden for reflection and an event lawn for gathering and recreation.
The buildings are oriented around south-facing courtyards to maximize daylight and shelter the landscape from prevailing winds. The stepped architecture and landscape draw inspiration from Northern California’s coastal and forested environment, with planting and material choices that evoke the region’s redwood forests, mudflats, and eelgrass beds. Located between two regional watersheds, the landscape was designed to contribute to the surrounding ecological system. Native and climate-adapted planting supports habitat—including species associated with the threatened western snowy plover—while creating a durable campus landscape suited to the North Coast climate.
Together, the architecture and landscape establish a distinctive residential identity rooted in Cal Poly Humboldt’s environmental values. Hinarr Hu Moulik East & West Student Housing weaves together regional ecology, student life, and the surrounding community. The result is an affordable, fully electric residential environment designed to support Cal Poly Humboldt’s continued growth well into the future.