Project Description
Skyline Hall is a 288 bed dormitory situated on the side of a hill at the William Paterson University Campus. The building seeks to fulfill a need to bring updated housing facilities to campus.
The 90,000-square-foot Skyline Hall provides numerous open spaces with natural light, as well as community areas that include a central common kitchen, social lounges with televisions and gaming areas, group and private study areas, a meeting room, and classroom space. Residents of Skyline Hall live in semi-suites – two bedrooms with a shared bath – arranged in “clusters” on each floor.
“Skyline Hall was designed to enhance students’ overall community building as well as their academic success,” says William Paterson University President Richard J. Helldobler. “Programming such as facilitated group study sessions, and skill building and success workshops will take place in the building throughout the academic year. We strive to create an environment where residents will be comfortable working together both socially and academically, inside and outside of the classroom.”
The building form and footprint follows the contours of the site to minimize the impact of the building on the site. The facade features four types of brick matching many of the surrounding buildings but uses them to articulate common spaces and private spaces. An entry plaza, trellis, and lawn at the main entry help to create public exterior spaces for students to use with expansive views of the remainder of campus.