As the California College of the Arts (CCA) continues its efforts to unify its operations at its newest campus in San Francisco, the school—along with the city as a whole—faces a critical need for affordable housing for its student population. In an effort to curb this issue for the school’s students, long-time CCA board trustee Simon Blattner has created Blattner Hall, a private, mixed-use affordable student community built specifically to benefit the school and its students.
While Blattner retains ownership of the site, he has given CCA a long-term lease on the property. “We recognize the pressing need for student housing in the Bay Area, and today I am proud to be part of CCA’s efforts to offer below-market-rate housing to its students,” Blattner said during the grand opening of Blattner Hall. “Located at the center of the Dogpatch, Potrero Hill, and Mission neighborhoods, Blattner Hall will bring young creative talent to this area of San Francisco while helping to alleviate housing shortages for college students.”
The Blattner Hall site, located within walking distance of the CCA campus, is in a transforming industrial area with new, high-density multifamily springing up around an existing city park. The Arkansas St. area carries a Walk Score of 93 and Bike Score of 96 from walkscore.com, and offers a bike share station nearby.
The exterior works in concert with this residential-industrial context, combining stonework and concrete with metal trims and bold color accents. The ground floor incorporates board-formed concrete piers and storefronts with tall ceilings, while the upper levels use wood-resin paneling and window placements to break up a uniform fiber-cement exterior.
The community’s upper floors offer 30 four-bedroom, two-bath apartments for up to eight students each, or 240 beds at maximum capacity. Each unit includes a shared living area, eat-in kitchen, and study nooks in the bedroom hallways. Common rooms and laundry facilities are located on each floor.
Natural daylight is facilitated throughout the space through the open central stairwell, corridor-end windows, and the bay windows in the shared apartment living spaces. Each one is punctuated on the outside by perforated metal sunshades, which respond to the building’s solar orientation.
The ground level offers student services, neighborhood-serving commercial tenants, and a multipurpose room flanked by two courtyards—a central courtyard with trees and a rear yard with an open space for social events.
The building is expected to receive a Platinum rating on the GreenPoint New Homes Multifamily Rating Certification System, and is aiming to operate using about one-quarter of the energy of a typical U.S. student building. Its sustainable interior features and materials include low-VOC flooring, low-flow plumbing fixtures, LED lighting, and Energy Star appliances.
The landscaping was selected to enhance the local habitat, and incorporates irrigation conservation. The roof is designed to avoid contributing to urban heat island effects, and features a solar panel array that provides electricity for all common areas and hot water for all apartments.