Acting as a gateway to the University's Hillside District, the 454 bed Hillside Hall is a dynamic model for student housing. In collaboration with Lerner Ladds + Bartels, the $36.4 million award-winning, LEED Silver residence hall is home to freshmen and sophomore students. Traditional double bedrooms, community bathrooms and social lounges are arranged in clusters that establish clearly recognizable neighborhoods within this 124,000SF living-learning community.
SHAPE
The building’s H-shaped plan was adopted to mediate the challenging site geometry and topography. The broad wings nestle into the hillside and define two outdoor courtyard spaces. The residential wings are connected by a transparent bridge, providing bright and lively spaces where students enjoy central two-story lounges accented with fireplaces. Light floods the interior and is animated with a rhythmic pattern of colored glass, creating a diverse array of constantly changing shadows. The façades feature a rich palette of brick, resinous wood panels, metal shingles, and glass.
INSPIRE
Establishing a hall that accommodates the differing needs of both first and second year students was a primary challenge. Our team adopted the concept of the “ladder effect” concept where sophomore neighborhoods were treated with attributes that lent distinction from the freshmen neighborhoods without creating overt distinctions.
Passion + Perspective
This construction photo shows the exterior panel mockups for review. Mockups help to insure that the construction of the panels are in line with the design intent.
The design team is on site frequently during construction. In this photo, the curtainwall structural frame is being installed.
In this construction photo, the curtainwall is being installed and attached to the structural frame. The structural frame for curtainwall systems is used to support the system and strengthen the members against deflection from wind.
This image shows a three dimensional study of the typical wing. This image helps the design team and the client understand programmatic adjacencies within the wing.
Sections are used to study the building scale and ceiling heights. This transverse section shows the raising and lowering of the ceiling from the rooms to the corridor.
Mackey Mitchell's nationally recognized expertise in the area of student housing has been a home run on the project.
- Chip Yensan Director, Housing & Residential Life, URI
