Studio Gang Architects will design a new residence hall and dining commons for the University of Chicago, officials announced today. Expected to open in 2016, the new facility will stand at the corner of 55th Street and University Ave and will act as a gateway connecting the Hyde Park community to the rest of the University. Jeanne Gang’s studio was chosen out of dozens of entries, in a process that called upon the input of faculty, staff, students, as well as community and University stakeholders.
The University’s distinctive “House System”—in which faculty members and advanced graduate students live with the undergraduates as resident staff —is accounted for in Gang's design. As Karen Warren Coleman, Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services, stated: “The design of the new residence hall reflects how students want to live when they come to UChicago—to have their school, work, home, and recreational lives knitted together for a full College experience.”
Organized around a three-story lounge that promotes student interaction, the hall will also accommodate third- and fourth- year students that seek more independent living arrangements. Also included are small number of retail spaces, offices, multiuse rooms, and classrooms.
Studio Gang’s new residence hall and student commons will be the newest additions to a Collegiate Gothic campus with an already rich architectural heritage, including a recently opened building by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien (Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts), facilities by Rafael Viñoly and Helmut Jahn, as well as modernist structures by Eero Saarinen and Mies van der Rohe.
According to Steve Wiesenthal, Associate Vice President and University Architect, “This world-class design from Jeanne Gang, one of the most innovative architects of our time, continues our commitment to architecture that cultivates a scholarly community."
