MUHLENBERG COLLEGE MULTI-STORY DORM

Best in Show/1st Place – Permanent Student Housing

Modular Building Institute, Award of Distinction - 2014

There were a number of challenges building this multi-story student residence expansion at Muhlenberg College. Perhaps most important was the accelerated timeline—the dorm rooms had to be open in time to welcome students arriving for fall semester to avoid the expense of temporary housing. Another big challenge was to deliver the latest amenities within the interior of the new dorm—including ADA-compliant student rooms, high efficiency lighting, occupancy sensors, and high-tech P-Tac climate control—while on the outside matching the exterior features of the adjoining legacy buildings that were constructed in the early 1900’s. The new façade had to blend in with existing building and campus surroundings while preserving heritage trees nearby. All while minimizing campus disruption.

Simultaneous off-site construction and site development accelerated the completion timeframe, as did the prefabricated tower and 20 modules constructed of structural steel and concrete flooring to meet non-combustibility requirements. Heritage features, including gray slate roof tiles, specially-sourced bricks, as well as copper gutters, downspouts, fascia and cupola, all worked to match the historical character of this long-established campus.