After completing a master plan for all of Notre Dame's existing residence halls, which included recommendations for renovations and programming to identify future needs for new residence hall beds, Mackey Mitchell designed Ryan Hall. Completed in 2009, it was the first new women's residence hall on campus in over 10 years. With 248 beds, the four-story community is now Notre Dame's second largest women's hall. The 74,000SF, LEED Gold facility features a spacious chapel and generous social and study spaces on its ground floor with lounges on upper floors. Laundry, fitness, and other amenities are on the lower level.
Shape
During the master planning process we helped the university identify the role of small section communities with shared bathrooms as a driving force behind the success of its residential life program. The design of Ryan Hall explores how the dynamics of room-type desirability and community-building differ for women, and was designed using universal design principles as a pilot project to advance accessibility on campus.
Inspire
Doug Marsh, University Architect said, "It was truly a joy for us at Notre Dame to work with our colleagues at Mackey Mitchell Architects in the planning, design, and construction of our new residence halls. In addition to genuine expertise in student housing, they brought a high level of passion, dedicated client service and plain hard work that helped make both Duncan Hall and Ryan Hall wildly successful projects for the University."
Passion + Perspective
Block and Stacking diagrams allow us to understand the scale of the project in context.
Elevation details are used to study proportion and scale as seen in this entry elevation detail.
This 3D model of the sanctuary was produced to better understand the intimacy of the space.
This 3D model was created to understand the spatial relationships of the student common areas.
Once a design is developed, exterior renderings are produced to help the client understand the final look of the project.
Mackey Mitchell is one of the most talented and professional firms that I have worked with to date. I was amazed at the design knowledge and technical skill of the team. They exceeded our expectations!
- Tony Polotto Senior Project Manager, University of Notre Dame
