The San Jose State University Student Housing was designed to house 232 students in shared apartments. An ancillary building houses a social room with kitchen, laundry, manager's office and mechanical space. Units for handicapped students are provided at ground level. 

The units are designed for passive solar hearing and natural cooling and utilize active solar devices for water heating. A gas-fired air system provides back-up for space heating. The tower that houses the solar panels extends to the ground so that the architecture expresses its solar function.

The project's design is sympathetic in scale and treatment to adjacent residential areas. To achieve both functional and aesthetic goals the buildings are oriented to the property line while the solar tower is at a 45 degree angle to achieve the best possible orientation to the sun.

The project was completed in 1984.

Photos courtesy Claude Stoller.