Oxford Plaza provides subsidized family and special-needs housing for downtown Berkeley. It joins with its companion project, the David Brower Center, as a convergence of environmentalism, social equity and urban repair. The project's many sustainable features include transit-oriented, urban infill development, 75% waste diversion, energy-efficient building envelope and systems, rooftop solar thermal hot water system, low-cement concrete, low-flow plumbing fixtures and water-efficient irrigation, and a rooftop garden for residents.

The architecture of Oxford Plaza draws upon the best traditions of urban social housing combined with expression of its environmental intent. With the David Brower Center it creates an active and coherent edge to downtown Berkeley where it faces the U.C. Campus.