Cabrini University South Residence Hall

architecture, student living, higher education

Scale

180 beds, three floors

Location

Radnor, PA

Responding to the campus master plan’s desire to create an enhanced network of connectivity on campus, the residence hall is configured to maximize connections to nature and serves as a destination in the larger campus plan.

The additional residential space was also needed to accommodate Cabrini’s strategic growth in student population.

The hall flanks Cabrini’s historic mansion building, providing previously underutilized views of an open green and the front entrance of the mansion. It also easily lends itself to year-round use, with the option to provide comfortable summer school housing to further expand campus offerings.

The prominent glass-enclosed social spaces at the building’s north end offer visual connections back to the campus core, while the building and the surrounding landscape form a new courtyard for informal student activities. Glazed elements are stretched vertically and horizontally to emphasize interior public spaces and connections to the outdoors, while offering a range of campus views.

Building on the palette of the surrounding campus, the structure is clad in dark panels and white brick, recognizing the limestone elements found throughout Cabrini.