Eckerd College
St. Petersburg, Florida

Completion: 2006
Size: 72,300 GSF
Cost: $15,400,000

Ayers/Saint/Gross was selected to provide architectural design services for the new Residence Hall at Eckerd College, which opened in the fall of 2006. The project developed one, 145-bed prototype residence hall. The College's plan is to replace their existing housing with this prototype as funding allows.

Phase I included the construction of a prototypical residence hall, or in Eckerd terms, a "complex" of 145 beds each. This new complex is to reestablish the intimate qualities of the existing complexes. To that end each new complex will be composed of 4 houses with 36 beds each, or 18 beds per floor. The units are a mix of singles and doubles interspersed serving students of all classes. Rather than gang bathrooms, there are a series of mini community bathrooms to provide more privacy. The common areas of various sizes are carefully placed in order to foster community building. Each complex creates a series of courtyards intended for both organized and informal gatherings.

This project is working to achieve LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council and includes many sustainable features such as:

• The Yellow Bicycle Program – as an alternative to cars on campus the University has provided students with bikes that they can pick up anywhere, ride and leave anywhere on campus.
• Green Building Education – screens that show energy use by room have been set up in public areas to make the students aware of their personal footprint on the environment.
• Maximized daylight in interior spaces
• Use of regional materials in construction
• Low-emitting Materials

In accordance with the Ayers Saint Gross Final Master Plan, the Phase I site is located on the south portion of the college campus, north of the proposed Edmundson Avenue adjacent to the new library, also of Ayers/Saint/Gross's design. This site was chosen to help frame the emerging campus green. This placement includes responding to the existing residence halls adjacent for the short term while creating view corridors to the surrounding bay. The exterior design is intended to respond to the existing campus character and the environment in which it sits.