Program/Scope
Each mid-rise tower is organized into (2) 35-student houses per floor to reduce anonymity and encourage socialization. Each house offers singles, doubles and triples, supported by a living room, small lounge, and a 2-person nook. The first floor of each residential tower has community social spaces, group kitchens, laundry rooms, multipurpose and classrooms, a project room, and residential life offices. The 680-seat campus-wide dining commons offers multiple food offerings arranged in clusters, a late-night restaurant, as well as a retail grab-and-go space.

Solution/Design
Communities thrive on a wide range of choices between public and private. To foster a culture of home, the design offers students a variety of experiences, from large social spaces to intimate, solitary places.

Every part of the architecture supports this goal. Massing shifts produce varied hallway widths to encourage socializing in different group sizes. Eight-story wings are distinguished by a slender glass connector designed to make residential life visible to the outside. Living rooms are marked by patterned glass that breathe life into each wing. Scale, light, color, and natural materials and motifs are used on residential floors to engage the senses.

The dining commons serves a dual role as a residential and campus-wide amenity. Its simple folded roof visually engages with the historic stables on Horseshoe Hill. The building’s mass rises to the north to welcome residents to their dining room as they return home. Inside, a single large dining room with views to the campus organizes food platforms and smaller seating areas. This variety also is very inclusive, with dining amenities available to all, while housing amenities give the option for a resident to invite guests to work or play in public spaces. Every residential bathroom is all-gendered.

Sustainable Design
The design draws from extensive research to create a setting with the comforts of home. Spaces are permeated by natural light, which studies show can improve comfort, sleep, mental and physical health, test scores, comprehension, and matriculation rates. Fresh air from operable windows and high-performance HVAC can be rejuvenating and has been linked to higher cognitive functions, while lowering energy consumption. Virtually every space offers views of the rolling hills and mountains, and this kind of connection to the outdoors can have significant benefits for mood, productivity, and general health. Students have direct access outdoors to walking paths, gardens, and greenscapes.

Consistent with the university’s commitments to ecological conservation, the site is irrigated with 100% greywater. Native or drought-tolerant plants are used wherever possible. The garden opposite the entry to dining is maintained by students to cultivate herbs and vegetables. The dining and housing projects are on-target to achieve LEED Gold and Silver, respectively.