Situated on a 2,660-acre campus of rolling hills and woodlands, the $38 million, 190,000SF Evergreen Residence Hall was designed to house 511 students in a mix of studios, four-person suites, and six-and four-person apartments with kitchens. A 4,800SF multi-purpose wing includes classrooms, a fitness center, student organization offices, a conference room and a computer lab.
Shape
Student safety and security was a major design consideration. The project was conceived as having two separate and distinct areas comprising a four-story residential wing, along with a single-story community building that can be accessed by non-residents without compromising resident security. A glass-fronted, multi-purpose room spills out onto an outdoor seating area for social gatherings. Well-lit at night, views to the activities within provide an added sense of security.
Inspire
Opened in 2007, Evergreen Hall has helped foster a strong sense of community among its upper class residents. The facility achieves a great balance of privacy and security that upper class students often prefer while creating a facility that also welcomes the greater University community. Non residents and residents alike enjoy the myriad of programs and events held in Evergreen’s distinctive commons building. The building program promotes a living and learning residential experience through ample floor and study lounges and community kitchens that help foster social interaction. Large windows in the apartment living areas and expansive glazing on the commons building provide plenty of daylight and scenic views to the woods for which the building is named.
Passion + Perspective
Many aspects of an architectural project are explored during design. One of the most important is the site. In this image, we are studying the contours of the site to understand how the hills and valley create opportunities for the project.
How the grade intersects the elevations of the building is important to understand. Here we are working with the slopes of the site and positioning an entry at the best location to reduce cut and fill.
The unique roof of this project required several sectional studies.
This 3D view shows the commons space volumes and adjacencies.
3D models are used to study the exterior design of the project.
At SIUE, we pride ourselves on having a strong sense of security in our residence halls. We challenged Mackey Mitchell to design a facility that is welcoming and provides a highly secure living/learning environment. They stepped up to that challenge.
- Michael Schultz Director of University Housing, SIUE
