The University of Oregon’s new residence hall, Kalapuya Ilihi, provides dynamic living-learning environments for generations of students to come, but also reaches out in meaningful ways to the surrounding community in the process. The residence hall provides 531 new student beds, targeting primarily freshman and sophomore students.
Mahlum’s design integrates the idea of being good neighbors on all sides, To the north, the Many Nations Longhouse required unobstructed solar access on the winter solstice to their ‘Expression Place’ in order to respect the cultural traditions and ceremonies. To the east and west, the project needed to respond to both the Moss Street Children’s Center and the Vivian Olum Child Development Center, responding to issues of safety, scale, and access between the two facilities. To the south, the building’s size, scale, and street plantings provide a street response that meets both City and University goals for promotion of green streets and open space. A formal street entry is also located along the south side of the building to ensure the building greets the residential neighborhood to the South and East.
The Academic Learning Community (ALC) consists of three residential communities with upper-level common use spaces supported by a ground-level academic core. Classes and departmental functions occur in a lecture hall, seminar room, offices, and study spaces. These spaces are coupled with contemporary learning environments, including a flexible open lounge, a maker-hacker space and an open-hearth kitchen. Combined together, they create a 10,000 SF ground-level learning commons supporting the residential communities above.