Dickinson College — a residence hall built on environmental and social sustainability

Carlisle, PA
40,500 square feet
LEED Platinum certified
2019
Type: Academic

Our design for the Dickinson College Residence Hall takes material inspiration from the surrounding historic campus. The High Street façade is made of limestone, while a back façade of standing seam zinc and glass responds to a more casual lawn (and future quadrangle) to the south, anticipating the institution’s future growth. Both materials respond to the existing campus, while maintaining a new, distinctive exterior.

The LEED Platinum building’s E-shaped plan creates a pair of small courtyards to break up the building’s massing. Circulation spaces—all of which have windows inviting natural light and open views—double as social spaces with seating and study nooks.

Through a four-month process of intaking advice from university members, we were able to identify and incorporate the students’ needs, from room design and social spaces to gender-neutral bathrooms that are inclusive and comfortable.

Carefully calibrated to student life, the new residence hall helped re-center the collegiate experience and create a cohesive, inclusive, and flexible community within.

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The pairing of limestone and zinc on the exterior looks toward the future while acknowledging the past. As a whole, it exemplifies what we think this project is all about: the transformation from old to new.

Rhoda Kennedy, Principal

Collaborators

TenBerke
Architect, Interior Designer

Andropogon
Landscape Architect

Kohler Ronan
MEP Engineer

Steven Winter Associates
LEED/Environmental Consultant

PHT Lighting
Lighting Consultant

Recognition

LEED Platinum Certification
U.S. Green Building Council

Design Award of Honor
SARA New York Council

Architectural Record
November 2018

Innovation in Residential Building Award
U.S. Green Building Council Central PA Leadership Awards

Citation for Design
AIA New York State

Drawings

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