University of Chicago Campus North

The University of Chicago wanted a new residence hall that would deliver the kind of social spaces students were asking for. They also wanted to build on their successful “house system,” which enhances the experience of campus life for undergraduates. With these parameters in mind, Studio Gang organized each house around three-story “hubs” that are designed to feel comfortable and homey as well as to encourage collaboration. Each hub offers distinct spaces for study, movie watching, food preparation, and play while also enabling all house members to gather as a complete group. Shared destination spaces such as the top-floor Reading Room offer panoramic views of the city, campus, and Lake Michigan.

This dynamic mix of new residences, dining, retail, amenities, and outdoor spaces extends the University’s footprint to the north. The location allows the design to create a new “front door” for the University with an open and welcoming ambiance, strengthening pedestrian connections between campus and the greater Hyde Park neighborhood. With its careful assemblage of four slender bar buildings, the project integrates students and community within an urban fabric of plazas, gardens, walkways, and courtyards that offer distinct, human-scaled outdoor environments. And while the buildings are oriented to optimize energy performance by maximizing daylight and natural ventilation, they simultaneously create the kind of sunlit urban landscape and lively social vibe that students want.