Bornhuetter Hall

1189, Beall Avenue, Wooster, OH, United States

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Bornhuetter Hall

1189, Beall Avenue, Wooster, OH, United States

Firm

Type

Educational › Other

YEAR

2004

SIZE

25,000 sqft - 100,000 sqft

LTL’s work with the College of Wooster began in 2001 with an extensive feasibility study of the residential campus plan that culminated in recommendations for substantial changes in the density and configuration of several student halls. Contrary to the prevailing trend at residential colleges toward apartment-style living, extensive discussions with students, residential life staff, and college administration led to the unanticipated conclusion that a double-loaded corridor type actually encourages the greatest degree of socialization and the most positive student experiences. Urban where the apartment type is suburban, the spatial format of the corridor building facilitates exchange among students and provides opportunities for diverse levels of interaction. This 47,500 square foot residential hall is composed of two separate dormitory units each with three levels of thirty students. This hall unit size was determined to be the ideal density to engender hall identity and student interaction. The two building units are joined by an exterior entry courtyard which is wrapped by the continuous skin of brick that comprises the public facade. Study nooks adjacent to the collective lounges cantilever like box seats into the theatrical social space of the courtyard. The building is sited on the rural edge of a liberal arts college campus. The facades of the building are clad in contrasting colors of brick to address the differing contexts of campus and park. The copper-clad interior volume is sandwiched between these surfaces, and reveals itself in the roofs, window awnings, end elevations, and entry court. The entry court allows access to the park directly through the building. From the corner of the site, the building appears porous to the park.