California State University, Fullerton hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to officially break ground on the new Sequoia Student Housing Phase 5 Student Housing project. The Sundt + HMC Architects design-build team joined faculty, staff, students, and esteemed community leaders to commemorate the $109 million project.
The six-floor phase 5 Student Housing project includes 510 student beds in two-bedroom apartments for juniors and seniors, resident advisor rooms, and one staff apartment. Students will enjoy a ground-floor lounge, laundry, market and mail room, and upper-floor study lounges. The project also includes administrative offices for residential life staff and a large landscaped plaza to host events, furthering the opportunities for activating a rich, diverse, and flexible community. The project location is at the north end of the student housing village on the Cal State Fullerton campus and compliments the nearby 615-bed The Suites housing project, also a Sundt + HMC Architects’ design-build effort, which houses first-year students. The Fullerton Arboretum borders the site to the north and west and serves as the northern anchor to Tuffy Lane, which links the housing community to the rest of the campus.
The project’s concept, Garden Home, reflects its proximity to the Fullerton Arboretum and serves as a beacon and anchor for the student housing community. The massing design references historic campus architecture, while the Garden Home concept integrates elements of the arboretum into both the garden courtyard and the interiors. The radiant beacon graces the end of Tuffy Lane, transforming it into a charming garden home destination for the campus student housing community.
The central garden offers spaces for socializing, studying, and hosting larger events, with scalability designed to meet campus. This supports the campus’ goals for outdoor use and community-focused zones. Within the courtyards are a variety of spaces, defined hardscape areas adjacent to interior lounges, and a large planted area to provide a visual buffer for the ground floor residences and engage the community.
Sustainability is central to the Garden Home design, with natural materials and color inspiration from the arboretum. Natural ventilation and sun shading enhance student comfort by maximizing daylight and reducing glare and heat gain. The project is pursuing LEED Silver equivalent and expects to see a 32 percent EUI reduction.
The project will be completed in July 2026.
