Chestertown, MD

Concurrent with a Comprehensive Campus Plan, Ayers/Saint/Gross delivered architectural and engineering services for a 90-bed student residence hall. The urgent need for more beds mandated an aggressive 12-month timeframe for design and construction. The project was on time at a cost of $100/sf and within one-half of a percent of the original budget.

The location and configuration visually reinforce the idea of a gateway from a new campus entrance. This facility also was the first in a series of housing buildings proposed to form a gently curving edge around an existing baseball outfield. It anchors the end of a tree-lined pedestrian walking linking the campus, new parking, and athletic fields.

The floor plan is organized in seven-person suites with single and double bedrooms sharing a living room and bath. The three-story building also has student lounges and study rooms with views of the campus center.

The College's history and regional characteristics are dominant on the 220-year-old campus. The new hall follows those precedents in its proportioning, massing, fenestration patterns, and materials. A central lantern lit from within acknowledges other signature cupolas on campus.

Completion: 1997
Size: 21,824 gsf
         90 beds
Cost: $2.7 million