Living far from campus impedes a student's ability to thrive academically, socially, and culturally.
While the majority of freshmen live in campus housing, this challenge is especially acute for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Today, the majority of non-freshmen live in privately-owned, market-rate housing that is often far from campus.
Once constructed, this project will create new campus housing for more than 1,100 sophomores, juniors, and seniors. These students overwhelmingly request campus apartments, and our existing supply is insufficient to meet the demand. Accordingly, every unit in the student housing built at People's Park will be apartment-style.
Apartments will be comparable in quality and pricing to existing campus housing. This is not luxury housing, rather it is quality housing that is well-built to stand the test of time. All of UC Berkeley's campus housing is below-market for Berkeley, and this project will be no exception.
UC Berkeley will develop, own, and operate Heumann House:
- There are no private developers.
- There are no private operators.
- No profits are being generated for private entities.
This housing benefits the campus community, the City of Berkeley and the region as a whole:
- More than 1,100 students will no longer need to compete for the city's limited housing inventory.
Student apartments in Heumann House will include a mixture of studio, two-, three- and four-bedroom layouts. They will include a fully equipped kitchen and, consistent with our goal to design new student housing with a higher level of accessibility, many of the rooms are being built to accommodate people with disabilities, and every apartment has some accessible design features incorporated.
In August 2025, the campus announced that the student housing at People's Park will be named after Judith Heumann, disability rights leader.
Heumann House: 4-Bedroom Student Apartment Layout
Judith E. Heumann House will include a mixture of studio, two-, three- and four-bedroom layouts. Apartments will include a fully equipped kitchen and, consistent with our goal to design new student housing with a higher level of accessibility, many of the rooms are being built to accommodate people with disabilities, and every apartment has some accessible design features incorporated.
The height of Heumann House aligns with the City's Southside Plan that will regulate privately-developed buildings in this area. Heumann House is one building, which is divided into two wings:
- The north wing features 11 floors of student apartments over a ground floor and a partial basement level. The height of the north wing varies from 127 feet, up to 154 feet where there is a small mechanical room with elevator and building systems on the roof.
- The south wing is raised to create an open and airy pass-through into the new park space below. This wing has 6 floors comprised entirely of student apartments with an average total height of 95 feet. The south wing is intentionally setback from Bowditch Street with lush garden plantings and trees.
On the ground floor, adjacent to the main building entrance, is a grab-and-go market that emphasizes healthy foods. The ground floor also includes social and community spaces, study and academic areas, and multipurpose flexible spaces.
Heumann House will incorporate environmentally friendly design and operations, promote the efficient use of energy, water, and other resources, and incorporate technologies that reduce the overall impact of the building. Rooftop solar panels will sustainably support the building's power needs. While there is no resident parking associated with Heumann House, the building includes secure bicycle storage for residents.
Rendering: Aerial View of the Central Glade
Placement of Heumann House has been carefully considered to create an expansive sunny meadow with plantings and pathways called the Central Glade.
More than 60% of the site is preserved as community green space, many trees will be preserved, and many more native plantings will be added.
This project creates new housing for more than 1,100 students, and in a separate building, there will be 125 apartments of permanent supportive housing for formerly unhoused people. All while preserving most of the site as open park space (approximately 1.7-acres, which is about 1 1/3 football fields in size).
Rendering: Judith E. Heumann House
View from Bowditch Street.
The south wing of Heumann House is raised to create an open and airy pass-through into the new park space below. This wing has 6 floors comprised entirely of student apartments with an average total height of 95 feet. The south wing is intentionally setback from Bowditch Street with lush garden plantings and trees.
Rendering: Judith E. Heumann House
View from Dwight Way.
The north wing of Heumann House features 11 floors of student apartments over a ground floor and a partial basement level. The height of the north wing varies from 127 feet, up to 154 feet where there is a small mechanical room with elevator and building systems on the roof.
Heumann House will incorporate environmentally friendly design and operations, promote the efficient use of energy, water, and other resources, and incorporate technologies that reduce the overall impact of the building. Rooftop solar panels will sustainably support the building's power needs.