New Imagery: UO Hamilton-Walton Transformation New Residence Halls
New images, taken by photographer Christian Columbres, of phase 2 of the Hamilton-Walton Transformation project at the University of Oregon. Phase 2 included two (as yet unnamed) halls: 1) the New Residence Hall containing academic spaces, a service center, a package locker delivery center, and residences for 705 students, and 2) the New Upper Division Apartments containing micro studios and quad unit layouts, equipped with private bathrooms and kitchens, for 400 students.
For the new residence halls, many design elements were carefully weighed: massing, materials, sun angles throughout the year, creation of outdoor space, portals, pathways, street frontage, and more. Each façade, for example, responds to other parts of campus—the use of brick reflects more of the traditional style found on campus while metal panels are a nod to more recent campus buildings. There are also localized contextual responses, such as the southern façade of the New Upper Division Apartments that faces Hayward Field with bold green and yellow metal window trim.
Indoor and outdoor spaces are knit together throughout the buildings. Shared student lounges on every floor overlook outdoor spaces. The ground floor of the New Residence Hall has two active sides: street-facing classrooms and study spaces; views and doorways to access the interior courtyard.
A key interior space is the Commons in the New Residence Hall. Layered and inviting, the Commons features ample windows connecting students to the courtyard outside, while angled and wallpapered walls create surprising vantages. The University of Oregon color palette is both boldly and subtly woven into the space. Thematically, the colors and finishes relate to the overall building metaphor of movement from the forest (south) to the meadow (north).
Another key interior space are student lounges. In the New Upper Division Apartments, the exposed Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) floor/ceiling structure provides a warm atmosphere to welcome students into the the central social space on each floor. Against full glass walls at the east and west sides of the lounges, the CLT serves as a backdrop for indirect lighting and becomes highly visible at night from surrounding courtyards.
Project Team
Architect of Record = Rowell Brokaw
Design Architect = Mithun
Contractor = Fortis Construction
Structural & Civil = KPFF
M/E/P = GLUMAC
Landscape = Mithun
Kitchen Design = JLR Design Group