PYATOK led a team of consultants on the repair of 143 student apartments at UC Santa Cruz. The original construction, completed in 2004, consisted of 17 "infill" buildings situated across four on-campus residential colleges (Kresge, Stevenson, Cowell, and Porter) and housed approximately 652 undergraduates. Since their completion, multiple reports of building damage were made. Forensic investigations conducted by the University uncovered significant defects in mechanical ventilation systems, plumbing systems, windows, roofing, waterproofing and flashing, and damage to finishes and structure of the exterior cement plaster.

Our scope of work included renovating the existing buildings in two phases with high-grade stucco waterproofing systems, enhancing the flashing details, upgrading the accessible units to meet current code, designing an enhanced mechanical exhaust system that incorporated a new fresh air intake, coordination of extensive structural inspection and repairs, and coordination of rigorous window waterproofing design and on-site testing. The repair work also incorporated simple design gestures to refine the building designs within their existing framework. Many of these design elements were not intended to be ornamental, but added to protect the buildings and improve their longevity.