The University of Chicago, Woodlawn Residential Commons

Overview

With attendance numbers rising, The University of Chicago needed a new residence facility to accommodate students and promote campus wellbeing. To meet both goals, a four-building facility was designed to house eleven residential communities with over 1,300 beds and features a comprehensive Green Restaurant certified dining hall.

We provided structural design services to Elkus Manfredi Architects for the project, which houses students in single and double rooms and apartment-style suites to support them in all stages of their academic journey. The residence facility features a 15,000-square-foot green roof where students can gather.

Highlights

• To accommodate the intensive green roof, the slab was dropped 16 inches. Beams were added around the perimeter and underneath the green roof to support the additional load.
• The four buildings sit on top of a one-story podium, lifting them slightly above street level.
• Large T-shaped transfers resolve pairs of columns on either side of the residential corridors above into a single column at the dining area, preserving the economical flat plate construction while creating an open and inviting common area.