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Architects: KSS Architects, VMDO Architects
- Area: 0 ft²
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Photographs:Halkin Mason Photography
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Manufacturers: Kalwall®
Text description provided by the architects. In the vast region of preserved forests and wetlands known as the New Jersey Pinelands, Stockton College is naturally situated to become a leading practitioner of sustainable design. As the college continues to grow, it faces the challenges of creating a campus able to attract top students and faculty, meet the needs of academic and collegiate life, and simultaneously celebrate its integration and place in nature. The growth has also exposed the need for a campus focal point, a destination where students, faculty, and visitors can mingle, and a landmark that can become synonymous with Stockton College.
The new building provides a place where the community can truly realize the Stockton College values and culture. KSS coordinated managing the college’s project budget with designing a social and cultural center that supports environmental responsibility and preserves Stockton’s natural setting. Sited at the head of a future campus green, the campus center has become a destination that greets visitors and fulfills everyday services of the community.
The design translates the existing forested transition between the college and outside community by using organic, nature-inspired architectural details such as soaring columns topped by outstretched trusses reminiscent of tree limbs, and a drop ceiling canopy created from wood panels. Sustainable design elements include an Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage, an energy-efficient geothermal heating and cooling system.
Firm Profile
KSS Architects is a full-service architecture, planning, and interior design firm with offices in Princeton and Philadelphia. Since our founding in 1983, we have built an impressive portfolio of work for clients who are leaders in education, land development, commercial real estate, and corporations.
We are committed to high quality design and state-of-the-art technical solutions. We structure our firm to streamline decision making while utilizing the expertise of our more than 40 team members, many of whom are LEED Accredited Professionals. One of our five partners leads each project, but consults regularly with other partners and team members to give everyone the opportunity to contribute their specialized knowledge and to find the solution for any design, technical, or management problem.
Our projects have received many awards and are often featured in national and regional publications. KSS was named AIA New Jersey’s Firm of the Year in 2002, 2005 and 2009.