Maple Hall

Description:
In an era where students can learn from virtually anywhere, Maple Hall redefines university classroom buildings by offering desirable, hot-climate-friendly indoor and outdoor social settings that enhance the on-campus experience with peers and faculty. The building seamlessly integrates with the campus site and the natural flow of people. Much like boulders in an arroyo, the ground floor elements are designed to preserve the naturally flowing, diagonal paths through the site, allowing access from three major traffic vectors and providing three generous, shaded entrance plazas under the elevated classroom block where students can casually gather. The bulk of the building volume is a two-story, steel-clad block of classrooms that, bold in its restraint, contextually relates to the rectilinear order of the mid-century modern campus. The classroom block features a central void, creating an atrium that serves as an expansive social setting at the confluence of student flow. The principal challenge the design team faced was delivering the scale and quality of interior and exterior social spaces in a building project that was programmed and budgeted merely as a conventional double-loaded hallway building with classrooms on either side. By skillfully leveraging principles of geometry, structural regularity, and envelope material economy, the team created an atrium-centered design that enhances the student experience. The restrained building geometry and envelope also significantly reduced the building's energy use intensity, resulting in a facility that is 30% more energy-efficient and is also certified LEED Gold. This innovative approach builds on the long-standing functional characteristics of a classroom facility and creates a vibrant and memorable environment that fosters community and interaction among students and faculty on campus.

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