North Campus Residential Expansion
Cornell University

LOCATION

Ithaca, New York

CLIENT

Cornell University

TYPE

Education | Student Housing | New Construction

SUSTAINABILITY

LEED Gold Certified

AWARDS

2024

Chicago Athenaeum International Award, Honorable Mention

Society of American Registered Architects New York Merit Award

2023

Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award, Honorable Mention

2022

AIA New Jersey Honor Award

Society of American Registered Architects National Design Award

Engineering News Record New York Project of the Year

Student life residential complex, in the Cornell courtyard tradition, builds community.

The North Campus Residential Expansion at Cornell University is a 776,000-square-foot student life residential complex for first year and sophomore students to build community and identity by providing 2,000 beds organized around a series of landscaped courtyards. The complex is a programmatic synthesis of residential rooms, a dining marché, and collaborative study and learning spaces to meet the University’s commitment to provide exceptional underclassman living/learning experiences.

Red and grey terracotta masonry walls complement the neighboring north campus buildings by acting as modern interpretations of the adjacent facilities, while upper-level residential lounges—located at building ends and corners—capture campus views and serve as visual beacons. A transparent ground floor promotes outward social interaction with the entire community. Lake source cooling and rooftop photovoltaics assist in achieving LEED Gold certification. The use of prefabricated off-site systems allowed this project to maintain its aggressive schedule.

It can’t be said enough that the expansion is a truly transformative project. It supports and accomplishes so many elements of our institutional vision for our student experience and is a very big first step in a long-term strategy around renewal and improvement of the residential experience.

Dr. Ryan Lombardi

Vice President for Student and Campus Life,

Cornell University