Indiana University
Walnut Grove Residence Center
Project
Walnut Grove Residence Center
Client
Indiana University
Location
Bloomington, IN
Completion
2021
Size
225,000 GSF
Category
Residence Halls
Partner Firm
RATIO Architects (AOR)
Challenged with designing a large residence hall for approximately 700 students on a long and narrow existing parking lot site, the Walnut Grove Residence Center is broken down into four distinct buildings to create more intimate student communities, and to help reduce the buildings’ perceived mass.
The buildings arrange themselves along the site to create comfortable, student-scaled open spaces between the new residence hall and the existing McNutt building. By organizing the public ground floor amenities around a larger central open space adjacent to the new dining expansion at McNutt, the Walnut Grove Residence Center creates a coherent center for the new community on a previously under-appreciated campus edge.
Visibility Along a Campus Edge
Overlooking N. Walnut Grove Street — a key link between the University’s sports stadiums and the several residence halls that make up the campus’s northwest housing community –— prominent communal lounge spaces occupy the corners of the residence hall. During the day these lounges offer stunning views out to IU’s spacious grove, a popular tailgating location on game day. At night, the lounges act as colorful glowing beacons to welcome students home on their way back from class or practice.
Layers of Active Circulation
Layered circulation paired with increased transparency creates an engaging ground floor experience
Pedestrian walks take students into and through the project’s several courtyards
Portals through the buildings allow campus paths to connect across the site
Interior collaboration and study rooms on the ground floor enjoy borrowed light
Project Consultants
Structural Engineer | Fink Roberts & Petrie, Inc.
Mechanical / Electrical Engineer | Ross & Baruzzini
Civil Engineer | Smith Brehob & Associates, Inc.
Landscape Architect | David Rubin Land Collective
AV/Tele/Data Consultant | Design 27
Photographer | Sam Fentress