Bard College Residence Hall

Bard College is a liberal arts college with about one thousand students.  Located in the Hudson Valley, its rural campus occupies a former agrarian landscape on the banks of the Hudson River.  The new student residences are arranged on the site to create a controlled, residential quadrangle with views into the surrounding landscape. This is achieved by creating separate buildings with fluid spatial conditions between them.  In addition, the corners of the new quadrangle are left open as the curving site plan blurs the distinction between the natural and built parts of the campus.  As a result of our discussions with college administrators and students, we designed autonomous and intimately scaled houses for twenty students.

The design team wanted to create an inviting and comforting environment for the students.  The interior of the building is illuminated to give the exterior a warm and inviting feel as you approach your ‘home’.  the stairs are located on the corner of each building with amble indirect lighting to give the feel of a warm glowing ‘home’ for the students.  The light-filled ground floor social area contains a shared living space, study and kitchen.  This creates a comfort zone for the students to socialize