VMDO Housing Renovation + Renewal by VMDO Architects

Student Housing Renovation + Renewal

Contents VMDO Architects

Design Renovating for Student Life Designing for Students Integrating HVAC Systems Intergrating Sustainable Design Strategies Creating the Right Bedroom Type

5 6 8 10 12 14

Georgia Institute of Technology Glenn + Towers Residence Halls

17 18

Radford University Bolling, Draper and Pochantas Halls

31 32

James Madison University Wayland Hall Hoffman Hall

39 40 48

Longwood University Wheeler Cox Hall Stubbs Hall

57 58 62 68

George Mason University The Commons

73 74

Virginia Polytechnic Institute Pritchard Hall

77 78

University of Virginia Gooch Dillard

83 84

VMDO Architects

At VMDO, we understand that a residence hall is at the heart of every student’s campus experience. Our approach to residence hall design is to create rich living and learning environments – buildings that support student success and resonate with the culture and goals of their campus communities.

Incorporate constituent input. Successfully designing for an institution means incorporating the input of a variety of stakeholders. We understand how to engage a complex network of constituents in a fluid and effective design process. Their involvement ensures that our buildings resonate with the needs and culture of your particular collegiate community. Attend to critical construction details. Our continuous work on residence halls means we are familiar not just with their spaces, but also with their construction. We understand what works and what doesn’t. We attend to the critical details so that your building will perform efficiently and effectively well into the future. Design for the campus. We are committed to the long-term care and development of a campus. As stewards of a campus, we understand that our buildings will make an impact on a place for years to come. We work hard to ensure that our design will both reflect and support a thriving academic environment.

Housing Renovation + Renewal

01 Design

Renovating for Student Life Designing for Students Integrating HVAC Systems Integrating Sustainable Design Strategies Creating the Right Bedroom Type

Design

Renovating for Student Life In over four decades of work in residence life, we have found that the goals of residence hall design are not limited to new construction. In fact, a thoughtful renovation can be a pivotal moment in the life of a building, breathing new life into a tired structure. New spaces carved into an existing building can fundamentally transform the programs available to students. Responding to and preserving older residence halls can respect the defining qualities of the building and the campus, while moving residence life forward in fresh and innovative ways. At VMDO, we work with our clients to establish a clear vision that captures goals that are specific to each new project. Though the scope and scale of each renovation varies, our commitment remains to use each upgrade or improvement to provide our clients with the best thinking in residence hall design to their project. Our firm is a valued resource for the residence life community, sharing our knowledge of “Renovation and Renewal” at residence life conferences – both local and national. We use thoughtful design strategies to establish a sense of purpose and quality in existing buildings: •

Re-imagining the building’s greatest potential

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Developing Innovative Spaces

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Thoughtfully Integrating HVAC Systems

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Utilizing materials that resonate and last

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Valuing Client Preferences

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Designing for High Performance

Our attention to both the systems and aesthetics ensures that these buildings achieve a lasting beauty. At the completion of construction, these buildings do not simply have better systems, they are better buildings.

Design

Designing for Students We strive to make each new residence hall project our best project to date. Since our founding in 1976, we have worked continuously on at least one residence hall project. Through this experience, we have gained insight into the key features of successful residence halls, and built up a library of knowledge from student feedback along the way. With thorough post-occupancy surveys, we ask tough questionsabout what works well and what needs improvement in our designs. These on-line surveys provide important feedback directly from students who are living in the buildings we renovate. Through student focus groups – both before and after a project is built – we hear first-hand from students about what resonates with them, what features help them feel at home and how the design of their residence hall can help them succeed academically. We take this information forward into each new project, improving on our previous work and incorporating important lessons learned into new design strategies. We strive to survey students in all of the projects we design. Consistent results include: •

77% of survey respondents "spend time or hang out" in corridors frequently, the second most popular gathering place (after the student bedrooms). Our response has been to design corridors as important rooms for students, not just passageways from one place to another.

•

Student comments reinforce the importance of acoustical separation, supporting our consistent and careful attention to acoustical separation at bedrooms.

At James Madison University's Wayland Hall, which was renovated with new social and study space, and to support a new livinglearning community for the arts: •

Students reported a jump from 44% to 81% in their perception that their building "contributes to a strong sense of community and academics." and a jump from 52% to 81% in their perception that their building helps them "achieve their academic goals"

Housing Renovation + Renewal

Design

Integrating HVAC Systems Improving or replacing building systems is typically an important driver in a residence hall renovation project. Many of our projects begin with a university's desire to add air conditioning, improve ventilation, or introduce life safety systems into an existing residence hall. Our strategy is to work closely with our engineers to integrate these systems with care and thought towards both the aesthetics of the space and the functionality of the systems. With tight floor-to-floor heights and uncompromising existing structural elements, seamlessly integrating systems into an existing building is a real challenge. However, we give this aspect of the design tremendous thought and attention - from design initiation through construction completion. The result is a renovation with comfortable and attractive spaces, efficient systems systems, and an ease of maintenance for the owner. Our portfolio includes a real depth of experience in this project type. In fact, we have completed sixteen full-scale residence hall renovations since 2008. This experience means that we have a seasoned understanding of how to integrate building systems into existing buildings with finesse. Conceptually, these strategies include: •

Carefully coordinating building systems to ease construction and conserve usable space

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Recovering underutilized space for important and useful purposes

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Creating architectural expression from systems enclusures.

Design

Before

Design

Integrating Sustainable Design Strategies Choosing a building renovation in lieu of new construction is an inherently environmentally sustainable act. However, a renovation can also achieve the same ambitious sustainability goals as a new construction project. Our deep residence hall experience lends us an ability to identify the initiatives that make sense – for long-term savings, and for success in achieving meaningful LEED recognition. Initiatives include: •

Energy + Water Conservation: Long-term energy savings through a variety of strategies which might include ground source heat pumps, solar water heaters, light sensors, and mechanical efficiencies. Water conservation savings with low flow fixtures, dual flush toilets, and rainwater collection.

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Durability: A residence hall is inherently exposed to a high volume of traffic and use. Durable, cleanable materials will go a long way towards minimizing maintenance concerns.

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Indoor Environmental Quality: Attention to the content of paints and finishes, the quality of air filters, and the availability of natural light can improve students’ wellness, quality of life, and academic performance.

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Material Conservation: Specifying materials with high recycled, rapidly renewable, and regional content minimizes net energy used to re-make a building’s spaces.

Design

Creating the Right Bedroom Types While a building is under extensive renovation, its systems are exposed and many of its finishes are at least partly demolished. There is no better time to accommodate new spaces, and fundamentally change others for the better. In a residence hall, simple changes can make a huge difference in the function and life of the building. Our team works closely. creatively, and collaboratively with our clients to forge meaningful changes that create better buildings – buildings that will better support the residence life mission of the university. Thoughtfully re-configuring bathrooms and creating unit type diversity in a building are examples of ways that simple changes can make huge differences in the lives of students.

Single with Private Bath

Double with Private Bath

Shared "Wet Core" Bathrooms serving Traditional Doubles

Design

Housing Renovation + Renewal

02 Georgia Institute of Technology Glenn + Towers Residence Halls

Georgia Institue of Technology

Glenn + Towers Residence Halls

Before

As lead designers for the renovation of Glenn and Towers residence halls, VMDO re-imagined how the two residence halls could create a livinglearning environment befitting the needs of Georgia Tech’s students while making a positive contribution to the campus precinct. A new addition connects existing Glenn and Towers Halls with light-filled, flexible living-learning areas include an exercise room, meeting room, classrooms, group studies, and lobby spaces. Siting strategies support campus connectivity while allowing Glenn & Towers to maintain a consolidated collegiate edge that includes a flexible quad, integrated commons spaces, and expressive localized stormwater gardens and green space. Meanwhile, new M/E/P/FP systems and restrooms update the residence halls themselves. New finishes in the existing lounges, kitchens, and residential units re-fresh the shared spaces of the buildings. Exterior envelope updates include masonry restoration, new slate roofs, and new windows. New dormers add seven new student residence rooms in each building. With the build out of the existing attic and addition of new dormers, new bedrooms were added to both buildings where none had existed before. VMDO served as the Executive Architect in association with Stevens & Wilkinson. The renovations achieved LEED Gold certification.

Housing Renovation + Renewal

Before

Housing Renovation + Renewal

Georgia Institue of Technology

Glenn + Towers Residence Halls

Before After

Georgia Institue of Technology

Before After After

Housing Renovation + Renewal

03 Radford University Bolling, Draper, + Pocahontas Halls

Radford University

Bolling, Draper, + Pocahontas Halls

Before

Built on the historic Quad, Bolling, Draper, and Pocahontas Halls are pivotal in shaping the quintessential Radford University residential experience. As part of their complete renovation, VMDO carved an ambitious configuration of new public spaces into the buildings. By removing an existing floor, VMDO designed a new two-story lounge space at the north end of each building. The new commons creates a remarkably open gathering space that is at once open and light-filled as well as private and removed. On the upper floors, removing an expanse of the exterior brick allows a new full-height curtainwall to provide ample light and views from the new floor lounges. Attention to the buildings’ residential units creates new living spaces that are fine-tuned to Radford students’ needs. By transforming the standard semi-suite unit (two doubles sharing a bath) into doubles with private bathrooms, the new design offers students enhanced privacy. Meanwhile, a series of new apartments create attractive living options for students and residence life staff, providing the university community with a variety of living options not available elsewhere on campus. Bolling, Draper, and Pocahontas Halls are expected to achieve LEED Gold certification.

Before

Before After After

After After

Housing Renovation + Renewal

04 James Madison University Wayland Hall Hoffman Hall

James Madison University

Wayland Hall

Before

The renovation of James Madison University’s Wayland Hall is a transformative project designed to encourage student interaction, promote sustainable living, and expose students to the discipline and joy of the arts. All aspects of the program, including an ambitious re-configuration of the bedroom spaces are designed to encourage interaction, foster collaboration, and create ample opportunity for exposure to the discipline and joy of the arts. Designed to host a new living-learning community dedicated to the visual and performing arts, the new building design includes a gallery, music practice rooms, an art studio, and a performance and exhibition room. With a ground source heating system, rainwater collection, energy efficient equipment, and materials selected for their recycled content, the project has earned LEED Platinum, the highest rating granted by the USGBC. With innovative materials and thoughtful design strategies, the renovated Wayland Hall has become a hallmark for the transformative potential inherent of residence hall renovation.

Before

James Madison University

Before

James Madison University

Hoffman Hall

Before

Located at the terminus of a major pedestrian path, Hoffman Hall holds a prominent location on the James Madison campus. New outdoor space located adjacent to reconfigured public space creates a buzz of activity that spills between the building and its larger precinct. Inside, renovations create a dynamic new set of spaces while updating the building with fresh interiors. The design transforms an interior courtyard into a valuable recreation lounge. By incorporating laundry, kitchen, and recreation into the first floor lounge, the building's public space embraces the daily functions of student living and pulls together a variety of activities, encouraging conversation and engagement. New materials used in Hoffman’s interiors bring warmth and texture to the building. Bamboo flooring and MDF paneling in student rooms create a residential quality to the bedrooms while utilizing environmentally sensitive materials. Meanwhile, improved lighting, new finishes, and a more efficient layout create a cleaner, brighter, more comfortable bathroom space.

Housing Renovation + Renewal

James Madison University

Before After

Housing Renovation + Renewal

05 Longwood University Wheeler Hall Cox Hall Stubbs Hall

Longwood University

Wheeler Hall

Before The signature residence hall of the Longwood University campus, Wheeler Hall frames the most prominent edge of the Wheeler Quad. As the backdrop for the university’s annual commencement exercises, Wheeler Hall plays an important role in the collective memory of the Longwood campus and is a beloved building by students and alumni alike. Our design team focused on improving the quality of common spaces as a means of fostering community and student interaction in the residence hall. A new central lounge on the first floor creates an attractive, central social space for the building. Students wanting to do laundry, watch tv, share a meal, and play a little pool are encouraged to hang out in the same cheerful lounge. A new porches on the west side of Wheeler Hall gives students a quiet place to relax, catch up on their work, and visit with friends – while enjoying the outdoors. The new porch creates an attractive campus gathering places out of the formerly under-utilized back yard of the building.

Longwood University

Cox Hall

Before

The southern sister to Wheeler Hall, Cox residence is the second 1960s era residence hall to be renovated by VMDO Architects. A new porch on the north side of Cox Hall ties the building to its neighbor to the north, creating an attractive new campus gathering place. With an inventive use of wood and steel, the porch gives students a comfortable place to relax outdoors. On the interior, the renovated design creates views to the outside from each of the circulation and common spaces of the building. An influx of natural light and views shapes appealing spaces for group study, collaboration, and socializing – activities that were formerly relegated to spaces behind the solid doors of a windowless corridor. Similar efforts to improve laundry, kitchens, and to incorporate attractive spaces for poster and announcement display have made the building better equipped for the living needs of today’s students. Creating a point of focus to the Glass Room at Cox Hall makes its unique apse into a more useful and attractive feature of the room. The space provides a location for lectures, but is large and flexible enough to support group activities.

Housing Renovation + Renewal

Before

Housing Renovation + Renewal

Longwood University

Cox Hall

Longwood University

Stubbs Hall

Before

Stubbs Hall is home to nine Pan-Hellenic sororities, one National Pan-Hellenic Council sorority, and non-Greek upperclassmen students. The renovation of this building balances a sense of sorority identity with building-wide community. With new generous public spaces, all students have a place to gather and socialize as a hall. Meanwhile, chapter rooms for the University’s ten sororities provide specialized space for each group to develop their own activities and traditions. Environmental signage in the building's new Sisterhood Room celebrates the national relevance and connections of its ten sororities. The installation recognizes the special place that the Alpha Chapters that were founded on the Longwood campus played an important role for the national community of sororities. It also emphasizes the common bonds between all sisters.

Longwood University

Cox Hall

Housing Renovation + Renewal

06 George Mason University The Commons

George Mason University

The Commons

Housing Renovation + Renewal

07 Virginia Polytechnic Institute Pritchard Hall

Virginia Polytechnic Institute

Pritchard Hall

Before

VMDO’s re-design at Pritchard Hall transforms a dull configuration of office, lounge and mail room space into a vibrant social, study and office space to support Virginia Tech’s growing living-learning communities. Though the square footage of the pro-ject was small, the design provided an ambitious re-invention of the space given the summer renovation time-frame. Specifically, the renovation of Pritchard Hall enlivened two 2,550 square foot spaces on two floors of the residence hall. A mail room and meeting room on the first floor were transformed into a modern Multipurpose room with ample space for recreation, socializing, and group study. Its inventive use of materials and re-organized circulation create a welcoming gathering space. With direct entry from the outdoors, the new lounge serves the larger precinct in addition to the students of Pritchard Hall. Meanwhile, the renovation repurposed a tired lounge on the second floor into an attractive suite of offices. Equipped with a conference room and small lounge, the suite is an important resource for faculty that are engaged in the living learning com-munities. Together, the renovated Pritchard Hall spaces give Virginia Tech students and faculty alike the space, flexibility, and technology needed for living learning communities in the building and precinct to thrive.

After

Housing Renovation + Renewal

08 University of Virginia Gooch Dillard

University of Virginia

Gooch Dillard

When first year students moved into Gooch Hall in the fall of 2016, they did so amid wishful comments from their upper division peers. “I wish I could move back in to the building,” said Second Year student McKenzie Cromer. Students’ enthusiasm is rooted in the building’s new modern bathrooms, simulated wood floors, and the open and more spacious feel of the bedrooms. Phase I of VMDO’s multi-phase transformation of Gooch-Dillard residence hall, the opening of 46 units in Gooch Hall, represented the beginning of a new era in the 1980s building complex. Tasked with replacing interior finishes and providing new M/E/P/FP work, VMDO created a new residential experience in the nine-building complex. By combining singles to create new double rooms, the buildings offer more ample living space suitable for first year students. Each suite is now composed of 3 double-occupancy bedrooms, a living area, and shared bathroom. Carefully selected for both visual appeal and durability, new finishes and lighting lend the interiors an attractive environment tailored to a more sophisticated taste. A new ventilation system was installed to maintain the indoor air quality of the buildings, providing fresh air and controlling humidity levels. The final phase of renovations opened in fall of 2017 and included 56 reconfigured units in Dillard, as well as updated lounges, dedicated study spaces, and new landscape design that provides improved accessibility, outdoor gathering areas, and increased visibility and safety. A significant landscape package was added as the project neared completion due to significant cost saving during Phase II of the project. With a prominent location at a gateway to the University, the renovated Gooch-Dillard Hall sets a renewed first impression of student living at the University of Virginia. The renovation to Gooch Dillard have received LEED Gold certification.

Longwood University

Cox Hall

Longwood University

Cox Hall

Longwood University

Cox Hall

Longwood University

Cox Hall

Housing Renovation + Renewal

Longwood University

Cox Hall

Longwood University

Cox Hall

Vmdo Architects vmdo.com | 434.296.5684 200 E Market St Charlottesville, VA 22902 2000 Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 7000 Washington, DC 20006

For more information on Housing Renovation work please contact: Michele Westrick, AIA, LEED AP BD+C westrick@vmdo.com Frances Watson Lengowski, AIA, LEED AP BD+C lengowski@vmdo.com

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