Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Geneva, NY

Three on-campus student residential facilities were studied by Ayers/Saint/Gross to determine how their interior plans could be reconfigured for more desirable housing options and additional common space. After meetings with students, senior administrators, and the residential life staff, the firm was able to determine programming requirements, such as number of beds, room configuration, and type and locations of shared spaces.

For each option developed by Ayers/Saint/Gross, floor plan changes were limited to relocation of interior partitions; stair and bathroom cores remained. Primary objectives involved more variety in housing types on campus as well as more common spaces in locations that would encourage greater social interaction among residents of each building.

The change in the number of beds resulting from decanting each of the facilities could then be placed in the context of the overall campus housing situation, thus informing possible needs for new housing.

Completion: 2001
Size: 123,455 gsf