San José State University - Spartan Village on the Paseo

Like many urban universities, San José State University (SJSU) has faced rising housing costs that have reduced affordability for its students. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the city of San José was also seeking to revitalize its downtown.

Multistudio is part of a design-build development team that proposed an innovative idea to the university – could the conversion of an under-utilized hotel tower into student housing address both issues simultaneously?

The Hilton Signia Hotel is located along the Paseo de San Antonio, an urban pedestrian artery that links the SJSU campus with other city landmarks. We collaborated with the development team and the university to design an adaptive reuse of the hotel’s South Tower to house almost 700 students in a living learning community environment. Social and academic spaces are concentrated on levels one and two, creating a highly visible destination that extends the energy of the campus towards downtown San José.

The transparent Sky Lounge in the hotel’s former connecting bridge has become a unique study and social lounge that spans above the Paseo.

The architecture reveals the existing building’s robust materials and structure, complementing them with sleek locally sourced wood insertions that highlight new functions.

A grand staircase leads to a café and student lounge spaces carved from former conference rooms, while shared amenities like study lounges, an e-sports game room, and a communal kitchen support both academic success and wellness.

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The inherent sustainability of reusing an existing building has kept over 11,770 Metric Tons of CO2e / 60 years out of the built environment. The project emphasizes healthy, red list-free materials and all-electric appliances to reduce environmental impact.

The design-build delivery of this conversion project is bringing student housing to market for SJSU very quickly: 1–2 years sooner than new construction of comparable scale.

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The design supports the goal of a living environment that inspires and further connects the San José State University community: strengthening students’ relationship with their city and preparing them for life beyond the campus.