Auburn University at Montgomery, Residence Hall

Montgomery, AL

The residence hall at Auburn University at Montgomery is a transformative step towards the establishment of a vibrantly inter-connected residential community. The hall is a 4 level, 63,000 square foot facility that helps meet a growing transition from commuter students to resident students. The residence hall contains 204 beds, 4 resident advisor apartments, living rooms, laundry rooms, and a community room that doubles as a storm shelter. The room type includes 2 bedroom units and a kitchen. Each bedroom will feature two single beds, two desks, two night stands, a pair of closets, and a bathroom with vanity. In order to meet the University’s vision for a vibrant residential community, the design team thoughtfully explored how multiple size neighborhoods might be established within the residence hall. This exploration led to the development of groups, and whole floors to interact. The goal is to have a great sense of belonging, family, and neighborhood.The corridor is one aspect of residence halls that has typically struggled to promote strong communities. The design team transformed the typical double loaded residential corridor into a series of transformative “linear lounges”. This was achieved through a simple splice of the double loaded corridor. By pulling the corridor apart into linear lounges, students are able to have collaborative living rooms along the length of the building. Unoccupied corridors with only doors on each side, will no longer be experience; instead vibrant collaborative spaces are distributed throughout the building. The architecture, serves to support students as they develop social and academic skills while providing a safe and comfortable environment in which they can thrive.