Dorm of the future
The new dorm, to be built on Comstock Avenue, will follow the national trend to modernize living spaces
By Julia Terruso
Posted: 2/7/08, 12:09 AM EST Section: News
Swiping ID cards at a residence hall might be a thing of the past.
Bracelets could track students' whereabouts and allow entry to dining halls and laundry rooms. They would have the ability to turn off the lights and monitor students' workouts. This vision may sound futuristic, but it was one of five competition entries for an innovative residence hall at the 21st Century Project Summit.
Planning the future of college living is the basis the summit, hosted by the Association of College and University Housing Officers - International. It aims to create prototypes for the ideal residence hall given the needs of today's college student.
The winning entry of the summit featured private sleeping quarters, floor lounges and high-rise windows - all of which are part of the layout for 619 Comstock Ave., the Syracuse University dorm set to open August 2009 in front of DellPlain Hall.
Although SU was not represented in the summit, the new dorm on campus follows the same trend to revamp the classic dorm room.
Eileen Simmons, the director of housing, meal plan and ID card services, said the trend largely favors singles or suite-style living.
"The students have clearly told us they love their own bedroom," she said. "The whole privacy piece is important."
The nine-story building will have 250 beds, a 500-seat dinning hall open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., academic space and a recreation facility. The development is the first entirely new residence hall at SU since 1960.
Nationwide, the traditional eight x 12 dorm room is being restructured to meet the needs of a changing student population.
At last February's summit, college presidents, campus housing departments, provosts and students met in Chicago to discuss what students want from their residential experience. After, a design showcase competition was held in which architects from across the nation submitted prototypes of their ideal residence hall.
Last year's competition focused on individual rooms. The winning submission came from Jonathan Levi Architects in Boston. It proposed movable furniture and interactive media walls to allow students to decorate and create spaces catered to their individual preferences and personalities.
Bracelets could track students' whereabouts and allow entry to dining halls and laundry rooms. They would have the ability to turn off the lights and monitor students' workouts. This vision may sound futuristic, but it was one of five competition entries for an innovative residence hall at the 21st Century Project Summit.
Planning the future of college living is the basis the summit, hosted by the Association of College and University Housing Officers - International. It aims to create prototypes for the ideal residence hall given the needs of today's college student.
The winning entry of the summit featured private sleeping quarters, floor lounges and high-rise windows - all of which are part of the layout for 619 Comstock Ave., the Syracuse University dorm set to open August 2009 in front of DellPlain Hall.
Although SU was not represented in the summit, the new dorm on campus follows the same trend to revamp the classic dorm room.
Eileen Simmons, the director of housing, meal plan and ID card services, said the trend largely favors singles or suite-style living.
"The students have clearly told us they love their own bedroom," she said. "The whole privacy piece is important."
The nine-story building will have 250 beds, a 500-seat dinning hall open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., academic space and a recreation facility. The development is the first entirely new residence hall at SU since 1960.
Nationwide, the traditional eight x 12 dorm room is being restructured to meet the needs of a changing student population.
At last February's summit, college presidents, campus housing departments, provosts and students met in Chicago to discuss what students want from their residential experience. After, a design showcase competition was held in which architects from across the nation submitted prototypes of their ideal residence hall.
Last year's competition focused on individual rooms. The winning submission came from Jonathan Levi Architects in Boston. It proposed movable furniture and interactive media walls to allow students to decorate and create spaces catered to their individual preferences and personalities.
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