Casa Zimbabwe
Encyclopedia
Casa Zimbabwe, commonly referred to as CZ, is a student housing cooperative
in Berkeley, California
housing 124 residents, most of them international students. It is part of the Berkeley Student Cooperative (BSC) co-op system.
Located at 2422 Ridge Road, the house is a block from the center of the northern edge of the University of California, Berkeley
campus. The brown stucco fortress overlooks North Gate, and the two accessible roofs provide a view of San Francisco, the East Bay
, the Berkeley Hills
, and most of campus. It sits on Northside
atop Holy Hill, the area in the vicinity of a five-way intersection surrounded on all sides by churches and seminaries. The BSC central office and central kitchen are located within the Casa Zimbabwe building, but they only connect to the main residential area by a few doors.
The residents of Casa Zimbabwe are affectionately referred to as Czars.
In 1987, the house residents successfully petitioned to change the house name to its current one, originally intended as a parody of some alternative exotic-sounding proposals. In the spring of 2001, the residents voted during house council to change the house name to Krakistan (though this has never been recognized by anyone outside of the house).
Casa Zimbabwe closed December 19, 2006 in order to perform major seismic retrofit
ting work. The house reopened August 23, 2007.
The house is divided into three segments. Residents' rooms are located in the east and west wings (known as the "10s" and the "100s" for the room numbering scheme used), both of which are connected in the middle by two stories of wide open common space.
Forty solar panels
were installed on the CZ roof in 1979. The panels supply hot water to the building.
Housing cooperative
A housing cooperative is a legal entity—usually a corporation—that owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings. Each shareholder in the legal entity is granted the right to occupy one housing unit, sometimes subject to an occupancy agreement, which is similar to a lease. ...
in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
housing 124 residents, most of them international students. It is part of the Berkeley Student Cooperative (BSC) co-op system.
Located at 2422 Ridge Road, the house is a block from the center of the northern edge of the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
campus. The brown stucco fortress overlooks North Gate, and the two accessible roofs provide a view of San Francisco, the East Bay
East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
, the Berkeley Hills
Berkeley Hills
The Berkeley Hills are a range of the Pacific Coast Ranges that overlook the northeast side of the valley that surrounds San Francisco Bay. They were previously called the "Contra Costa Range/Hills" , but with the establishment of Berkeley and the University of California, the current usage was...
, and most of campus. It sits on Northside
Northside, Berkeley, California
Northside is a principally residential neighborhood in Berkeley, California, located north of the University of California, Berkeley campus, east of Oxford Street, and south of Cedar Street. There is a small shopping area located at Euclid and Hearst Avenues, at the northern entrance to the...
atop Holy Hill, the area in the vicinity of a five-way intersection surrounded on all sides by churches and seminaries. The BSC central office and central kitchen are located within the Casa Zimbabwe building, but they only connect to the main residential area by a few doors.
The residents of Casa Zimbabwe are affectionately referred to as Czars.
History
When CZ opened in 1966, it was known as "Ridge Project" since it shares its lot with Ridge House, another BSC cooperative. Ridge Project was one of the first instances of co-ed housing on the Berkeley campus.In 1987, the house residents successfully petitioned to change the house name to its current one, originally intended as a parody of some alternative exotic-sounding proposals. In the spring of 2001, the residents voted during house council to change the house name to Krakistan (though this has never been recognized by anyone outside of the house).
Casa Zimbabwe closed December 19, 2006 in order to perform major seismic retrofit
Seismic retrofit
Seismic retrofitting is the modification of existing structures to make them more resistant to seismic activity, ground motion, or soil failure due to earthquakes. With better understanding of seismic demand on structures and with our recent experiences with large earthquakes near urban centers,...
ting work. The house reopened August 23, 2007.
Members
The residents of CZ are the members of the cooperative. Each member pays rent in addition to contributing five hours of work per week. CZ holds a weekly council meeting where members gather to discuss house business.Building
While every other BSC house was a pre-existing structure eventually converted into a co-op, CZ is unique in that it was built with the specific intent of being used as a cooperative living space.The house is divided into three segments. Residents' rooms are located in the east and west wings (known as the "10s" and the "100s" for the room numbering scheme used), both of which are connected in the middle by two stories of wide open common space.
Forty solar panels
Solar thermal collector
A solar thermal collector is a solar collector designed to collect heat by absorbing sunlight. The term is applied to solar hot water panels, but may also be used to denote more complex installations such as solar parabolic, solar trough and solar towers or simpler installations such as solar air...
were installed on the CZ roof in 1979. The panels supply hot water to the building.