The University of California, Santa Cruz is building the Hagar Development, a 131,007-square-foot, Type V-B project designed to meet rising demand for student family housing. Planned as a purpose-built residential community, the development aims to support students balancing academic life with the needs of a household. The project features cold-formed steel (CFS) produced by Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA) member CEMCO.
The new UCSC student housing features 35 two-story four-plex buildings. The project will deliver 140 two-bedroom units, classrooms, administrative space and outdoor play areas. Across the 17-acre site, the development also includes a community center, maintenance and utility buildings, open space, gardens and parking, creating a fully integrated campus neighborhood.
CEMCO received the 2025 SFIA Industry Project and Product Honorable Mention in the Low Rise category for the University of California, Santa Cruz, Student Housing West – Phase 1 Hagar Development. The SFIA Awards recognize excellence in the use of cold-formed steel (CFS) framing across design and construction. Wayne Capers of ADCO Drywall and Metal Framing, the framing subcontractor, submitted the award entry.
Featured image (above): CEMCO supplied cold-formed steel (CFS) framing products for the UCSC Student Housing project in Santa Cruz, California.
The UCSC Student Housing project in Santa Cruz, California, features cold-formed steel (CFS) prefabricated panels.
CEMCO’s honorable mention was announced during the 2025 SFIA Awards live ceremony and posted online. The SFIA 2025 Industry Project and Product Awards, an annual steel framing industry awards competition, focuses on CFS manufacturing and construction. Designers, manufacturers, distributors and contractors entered a variety of projects in the latest competition.
Design Quality
How did this project use CFS efficiently and what was the value engineering solution?
The project features a mixture of CEMCO cold-formed steel studs and track. It also features the CFS systems in collaboration with a proprietary truss design for floor and roofs.
Installation Complexity
Did this project require special methods or conflict resolution?
Using a combination of cold-formed steel members and panelized CFS production, ADCO Drywall and Metal Framing, the framing subcontractor, had to frame 35 residential buildings and two community centers in just three months. With 130 workers and four cranes, the team finished ahead of schedule, despite Santa Cruz’s many wet days.
Because the project was panelized, crews framed all walls using CFS off-site. The team then trucked the panels to the job site and craned them into place.
CEMCO cold-formed steel (CFS) members form the load-bearing walls for the UCSC student housing project.
A prefabricated cold-formed steel (CFS) wall panel is craned into place after off-site fabrication, part of an approach that helped ADCO crews stay ahead of schedule.
A student family housing unit takes shape as cold-formed steel (CFS) framing and panelized walls come together on-site, reflecting the project’s fast-paced, prefabrication-driven construction approach.
Manufacturing Complexity
Were the materials custom made or were they modified standard pieces?
CEMCO custom produced and cut to length the materials, minimizing waste. Crews completed panel fabrication off-site, producing individual panels ready for installation.
An Early Education Center takes shape at the UCSC Hagar Development, where cold-formed steel (CFS) framing supports classrooms, administrative space and more.
Overall Job Quality
How did the completed system perform in alignment, finish, and overall design intent?
The project met the university’s rigorous standards for quality and performance. Alignment from concrete to framing to finishes remained precise, fully supporting the design intent.
CEMCO received the 2025 SFIA Industry Project and Product Honorable Mention in the Low Rise category for the UCSC Student Housing project.
UCSC Student Housing in Santa Cruz, California
UCSC Student Housing
Santa Cruz, California
Details: 600 tons cold-formed steel (CFS) framing products
PEOPLE
Owner
University California Santa CruzArchitect
EHDD ArchitectureGeneral Contractor
W.E. O’NeilEngineering Firm
Tipping Structure EngineersCFS Product Manufacturer
CEMCOCFS Specialty Subcontractor
ADCO Drywall and Metal Framing
SFIA Industry Project and Product Awards
The 2025 SFIA Industry Project and Product Awards focus on cold-formed steel (CFS) manufacturing and construction. A panel of industry representatives judged all 2025 SFIA Awards entries based on the following criteria:
- Design Quality, such as the efficient and sustainable use of CFS products
- Installation Complexity, focusing on conflict resolution, timeframe challenges, etc.
- Manufacturing Complexity, including custom orders, panelization, special material sourcing and more
- Overall Job Quality, including the quality of alignments, finishes and other attention to detail
- Conversion from Alternative Framing Material, reflecting how steel framing lowered a structure’s weight, or added stories, or helped lower the project’s builders’ risk insurance, etc.
About SFIA
The Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA), a unique organization representing steel mills, coil coaters, stud and connector manufacturers, component fabricators, Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute (CFSEI) members, suppliers/distributors, contractors and others, provides members with exclusive access to technical cold-formed steel (CFS) framing services, including CFS certification, environmental product declarations, market data and analysis, technical design guides, specification review services, architectural services, the Steel Framing Learning Portal, the SFIA Awards and more. SFIA is an accredited ANSI Standards Development Organization. Follow SFIA on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Additional Resources
- The Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA) Names 13 Recipients of the 2025 Industry Awards
- SFIA Unveils 9 Winners of the 2024 Industry Project Awards
- SFIA Reveals 7 Winners of the 2023 Industry Project Awards in Online Ceremony