Harley Ellis Devereaux’s iconic Roy Reel tells Bisnow about four of his firm’s new student housing projects, including two of the largest residence halls in the US.

Roy and his wife, Patricia (pictured), recently traveled to Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes to celebrate Roy's birthday.

The Inca’s built this “lost city” around 1450 and abandoned it 100 years later when the Spaniards invaded South America, Roy says.

Machu Picchu is now an architectural World Heritage Site after being discovered in 1910 by archaeologists.

In addition to its 15-acre, 2,700-bed USC Village complex racing toward a fall 2017 completion, HED is working on the 1,000-bed Madison Street Residence Hall (above) at the University of Iowa. The two will be among the nation's largest residence halls.

The school’s main campus is defined by its relationship with the Iowa River and Iowa City’s urban environment. HED blended the residential and academic experience of the two, creating a living/learning community and dining hall, featuring three interconnected 12-story towers, with a sustainable design goal of LEED Silver.

In Southern California, HED also is designing Pepperdine University’s new 450-bed Outer Precinct Housing—three four-story buildings overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Malibu (above).

By using computational fluid dynamic design tools, the firm created a unique building form that takes maximum advantage of onshore breezes to eliminate the need for air conditioning, according to Roy.

In Irvine, HED has been selected by the University of California to develop the detailed project program for its newest Middle Earth housing complex, a 750-bed expansion of residential buildings on the university campus, Roy says.