Oregon State University Residential Halls Renovation

Corvallis, OR

 Over the course of one summer, three student residential halls on the OSU campus—Bloss, Callahan, & Wilson Halls—were renovated. Improvements included kitchen modernizations, social space refreshes, upgrades to student rooms, ADA and gender inclusive restrooms, HVAC additions, and fire protection enhancements.

Because of the accelerated schedule of this multi-building, design-build renovation, the team adopted a focused and direct approach to capture a broad range of voices. They conducted town-hall-format meetings with RAs, smaller-scale meetings with Resident Directors, and design meetings with housing staff, facilities, and their student team. As part of this engagement process, the team solicited feedback on similar campus remodels. The recently completed Finley Hall served as a yardstick for success. Creating cohesion between Finley and the renovated halls became a project goal. Our team found ways to incorporate a similar design approach as Finley and used the Finley material palette as a starting point. Where it made sense, the team suggested potential improvements.

One big change was to propose two kitchen stations instead of a single kitchen with two sets of appliances. According to user groups, the types of students that used these spaces tended to cook shared meals, so serving multiple groups from the kitchen at the same time became a key project priority. As a result, the design provides distinct kitchen stations, as well as a separate, smaller “cookie station.” To increase flexibility, all kitchens are fully ADA compliant and have separated storage from workspace so that the majority of the countertop space is accessible, not just at designated areas.

Many of the students in these residential halls are living away from family for the first time. Meal preparation and gathering is an important part of creating a new home for these students. The project catalyzes this essential form of community-building by providing comfortable, usable, and warm spaces to meet new people and share a meal.