PROJECT  University Center Complex

ARCHITECT  Design Collective, Inc.

LOCATION  Hoboken, New Jersey, US​

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  5/9/2022

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM  Luis Bernardo, Eric Wohnsigl, Fiver Soraruf, Dan Schultz, John Corkill, Seonhee Kim, Brian Reetz, Michael Pullano, Lionel Thompson, Beth Traglia, Melissa Rodriguez De Jesus, Bronte Lake, Jennifer McLaughlin, Meghan Hoffmann, Ammi Chaveas, Paul Drummond, Ryan Cosgrove, Mike McGrain, Don Harris
OWNER/CLIENT  Stevens Institute of Technology
CONTRACTOR/CONSTRUCTION MANAGER  Tishman Construction and Lehrer Cumming
PHOTOGRAPHER  Tom Holdsworth
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Design Collective, Inc.
CIVIL ENGINEER Langan
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER  Harman Group (now IMEG)
MECHANICAL ENGINEER  Jaros Baum & Bolles
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER  Jaros Baum & Bolles
CONSULTANT  Lighting Design Collaborative
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SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT  
This new student housing and university center project at Stevens University represents a significant step in the modernization of the university’s housing options as well as the introduction of a vibrant campus core that serves both students and faculty. The project reduces the university’s dependence on the surrounding neighborhoods for student housing while supporting the goals for increased undergraduate and graduate student enrollment.

Prior to the construction of the new student housing towers and university center, Stevens University was paying market rate rents for housing in Hoboken for most of the freshman class since the university guarantees their housing yet lacked on-campus housing that would contribute to annual growth in enrollment. Due to the geographical constraints of the urban campus, the design team worked with the university and city officials to rezone a portion of Hoboken and allow taller buildings in the immediate proximity of the proposed site. This provided long-term savings for the university and consolidation of students to be housed on-campus which was desired by both the city and university.

The living-learning community and mixed-use facility is organized into two towers above a podium. The north tower is designed with 18 levels of student housing while the south tower contains 16 levels of student housing, including almost 1000 beds. The massing of the towers is broken down into three volumes, generated from the building program, to create a dynamic composition. The eastern edges of the towers end in glassy angular student lounges that accentuate views of Manhattan and serve as vertical beacons that announce the university’s presence along the Hoboken skyline.

The building site offers unparalleled views up and down the Hudson River and of New York City’s skyline. Visual connections from the campus core are framed by the two housing towers and connecting sky lounge from the heart of campus towards lower Manhattan. The building’s orientation limits view obstructions along the campus’ quad and pedestrian thoroughfare and allows the campus green to spill into the central courtyard between the two housing towers creating an active zone for student interaction.

A three-level university center at the base of the towers nestles the building into the ninety-foot-high bluff above the Hudson River and connects the residential towers at their base. The western side of the university center is detailed with a traditional aesthetic that is derived from the historic red brick campus vernacular, while the eastern edge of the building is expressed with contemporary glass volumes to maximize views from the interior and provide abundant natural lighting. The ground level building form and courtyard location is driven in large part by pedestrian connections and programmatic circulation, but also by the design team’s desire to preserve the three-hundred-year-old elm trees that line the primary circulation spine on campus. This complex preservation effort also gave the new building an intrinsic sense of permanence on day one, with mature landscaping and campus greenery weaving throughout the building’ pathways and forms.

JURY COMMENTS (If applicable)

MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF

IMAGES (Captions and Photographer Credit)
1. Courtyard view looking east towards Manhattan, Tom Holdsworth Photography
2. Courtyard view looking east towards Manhattan, Tom Holdsworth Photography
3. View from University Center lobby looking east over the Hudson River, Tom Holdsworth Photography
4. Aerial view looking east towards Manhattan, Tom Holdsworth Photography
5. View from Schaefer Lawn looking east, Tom Holdsworth Photography
6. View inside amenity skybridge looking north east, Tom Holdsworth Photography
7. Aerial view looking west toward campus, Tom Holdsworth Photography
8. View looking west toward amenity skybridge and Schaefer Lawn