Southern New Hampshire University
Monadnock Hall

Higher Education:
Residential Life | Student Services

Nestled in the woods, this new 300-bed, design / build residence hall solves the university’s need to replace outdated and inadequate residence halls with a new, student-centric living environment. Internally the building is organized around a center “knuckle” of common and support spaces. Wings are efficiently laid out with mostly two-bedroom, four-person apartments and four-bedroom, four-person apartments in select areas. The design accommodates students with ADA, as well autistic needs through increased levels of acoustic separation while still being fully integrated. Sustainability was first of mind with highly efficient systems, a tight building envelope, and photovoltaic system to provide 50% to 75% of the residence hall’s annual electricity needs.

The design responds and is influenced by multiple important factors. The building shape is a reaction to the natural site contours which allows the building to sit lightly on the land and save considerable costs by avoiding extensive excavation and ledge removal. The exterior materials, natural New England field stone, and variegated color metal panels, draw from the character of the site’s setting with historic stone walls that line the site and the light and dark patterns of the metal panels portray the native hardwoods surrounding the building.