Transforming Student Housing
Sierra College Student Housing Complex | Rocklin, California
DPR Construction served as general contractor of a new affordable student housing complex on Sierra College’s campus in Rocklin, California. This transformative housing project enhances the housing experience for current and future students by substantially decreasing its cost of rent to below the area's market rate.
Student Housing Complex
The 121,000-sq.-ft., three-floor student housing project provides housing for 348 students and 10 resident advisors. Located on the edge of campus, the building features accessible apartment-style residences. Each apartment is designed to be home to six students and include a small common area, a kitchenette and bathrooms.
Designed to build community and enhance student life, each floor includes reading, study/workspaces, and student life spaces. The building's common spaces include residence management offices and workspaces, a campus security substation, laundry rooms, a fitness center, an activity room with a full kitchen and student support space. Lobbies and hallways feature an open concept to promote circulation and informal gathering. In addition, the new student housing complex includes gaming areas, bicycle/skateboard storage, shaded social gathering spaces and an outdoor eating/cooking area.
Integrating Design, Prefabrication & Self-Perform Work for Greater Value
With 66% of the work executed by DPR and our Family of Companies, the project fully leveraged prefabrication and Self‑Perform Work (SPW) to enhance quality, safety, and predictability. Key prefabrication partners included:
- DBC, delivering the entire prefabricated structural system, including shear walls and fully sheathed exterior wall panels, manufactured off-site to improve quality and accelerate erection.
- SurePods, delivering fully prefabricated modular bathroom pods, reducing onsite trade stacking and improving finish quality.
These prefabricated assemblies minimized variability and reduced onsite congestion, while DPR’s self-perform crews ensured precision execution in the field. By tightly integrating design intent with construction execution, the team eliminated unnecessary rework and delivered a smooth, coordinated build process.
Early Collaboration Drives Better Decisions
From the outset, DPR established an integrated partnership with Sierra College, the design team, and key trade partners to align project goals with cost, schedule, and long-term operational priorities. Leveraging Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), the team validated the program early and developed detailed digital models to inform key decisions. This collaborative process also enabled DPR’s in-house structural engineering group, GPLA, to perform rebar detailing during the design phase—resolving constructability issues upfront and reducing downstream risk. Evergreen Innovation Group (EIG), part of the DPR family of companies, brought early coordination to the project’s electrical infrastructure by overseeing underground raceway installations and ensuring proper integration of electrical power distribution, lighting systems and the standby generator. OES supported the project through early logistical planning, including just‑in‑time delivery strategies and off‑site warehousing to reduce congestion on the tight campus footprint and ensure materials arrived exactly when needed. By identifying opportunities for efficiency long before construction began, the team created a clear, reliable path to delivery.
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Sierra College New Housing Complex
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