Hartford Commons / Milwaukee, WI
Fall 2019 / Architectural Design 1
The Hartford Commons is a 96 person residence hall situated on a narrow parking lot in front of the UWM fountain, a popular attraction on the campus. Given that the majority of the time students are on campus is during the colder months, this part of campus is far less traveled. Less traveled means less noise. My proposal uses this quietness as an advantage by shaping the rooms to maximize privacy.
The exterior of the building is cladded with Corten steel otherwise known as weathering steel. This material doesn’t require painting but relies on the environment to develop a rusted look. The materiality correlates to the surrounding aged-brick buildings and adds an updated look. The structure of the building is constructed with cross laminated timber (CLT) panels, columns, and beams. CLT construction comes with many advantages such as low cost, low waste, easy installation, and better overall thermal performance.
