Before the University could complete its transformation from a primarily commuter to a residential culture, it needed to close one campus. A new Master Plan guided the sustainable transformation, focusing resources to create a more attractive - and ultimately more competitive - student experience. To meet the University's strategic objectives, the first phase of implementation created three distinct zones: a new campus entrance and arrival sequence; a new campus core with open green space; and improved integration of the upper campus.
The project also modernized the existing 47,500 GSF student center, increasing its size by 14,750 GSF; added two new residence halls, with a third planned in Phase 2; and created a new environmental center with a 1,600 GSF LEED Gold-certified classroom, teaching pavilion, and supporting structures for animals.
A network of sustainable, living-learning residence halls embraces a new campus green adjacent to mature woodlands and protected wetlands. Faculty offices and classrooms on the ground floors and a sidewalk café activate the environment. Alumni Hall houses 488 first-year students in double-occupancy, semi-suite spaces, while Elm Hall offers upperclassmen a mix of double-occupancy suites and semi-suites. “See-and-be-seen” glass study lounges, linking neighborhoods of student rooms, connect to the landscape and enliven building façades, communicating the intellectual nature of this residential community. The forms and materials of the design relate to the agrarian character of the 200-acre site.
Building Facts
- 200 acres
- 380,000 GSF total
- 760 beds total
- 125,000 GSF Alumni Hall
- 101,000 GSF Elm Hall
- 62,250 GSF Student Center
- 1,600 GSF Environmental Center classroom (LEED Gold certified)
- Teaching Pavilion
Heart of the Campus
The campus core visually and physically connects a new greenspace to Choate Pond and the wetlands.
The first phase of the Master Plan implementation created a central greenspace with open sightlines.
The design of the Morris Kessel Center juxtaposes two-story fieldstone walls with a two-story glass wall to make the building one with its landscape.
A deep zinc-coated copper and wood canopy mitigates solar gain while adding warmth and scale to the facade of Kessel.
Open and flexible social spaces foster community by supporting a wide range of activities.
The building is oriented to maximize connectivity and views, fostering a strong sense of community as well as environmental awareness.
Expansive, high-performance glazing takes advantage of southern exposure to bring daylight deep into Kessel.
The Master Plan
The collaborative planning process focused on improving operational efficiencies and enhancing campus identity – and was informed by several studies.
The campus plan respects adjacent wetlands by clustering buildings.
Topographical analysis revealed the severity of the slope.
The plan examines all factors - natural and built - in the campus's suburban context.
Climate analysis helped determine sustainable design strategies for passive heating and cooling.
The student life quadrant embraces a central campus greenspace.
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