In a recently completed Landscape Master Plan outlining the long term vision for the University’s physical environment, the most immediate need was identified to lie within the Residential Quadrangle, a long neglected open space enclosed by a cluster of underclassman dormitories. The overarching goal of this first implementation phase was “to create a welcoming accessible space that promotes activity and supports living and learning”.

A single cohesive central gathering space was created which served to draw students together from all of the dormitories. The resultant pathway organization created both a highly efficient means of providing order to a complex combination of pedestrian origins and destinations while at the same time increasing opportunities for chance interaction amongst the University’s newest students. The central feature is a circular promenade surrounding a dome shaped turf mound, both of which respond to the more formal nature of the two main quad buildings.