Vibrant New Neighborhood Energizes a Suburban Campus 
{"autoplay":"true","autoplay_speed":"8000","speed":"1000","arrows":"true","dots":"false","loop":"true","nav_slide_column":5,"rtl":"false"}
{"autoplay":"true","autoplay_speed":"8000","speed":"1000","arrows":"true","dots":"false","loop":"true","nav_slide_column":5,"rtl":"false"}

DETAILS

LocationRochester, New York, United States
ClientARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge, Inc.
Size30 acres

Global Village, a pedestrian-only infill neighborhood adjacent to Rochester Institute of Technology’s academic core, and its mixed-use centerpiece, Global Plaza, create a social heart for 17,200 students and 3,600 faculty and staff. The landscape architects and architects collaborated on an urban design that establishes multiple “crossroads” to foster walking between classes and previously isolated campus buildings and parking. Also integrated are earlier “floating” buildings, including a one-story campus café/cafeteria, a cluster of Greek houses, and the new glass Innovation Center. Multiple portals and entrances, two grand stairs—popular for people watching—and an outdoor space network on two levels enmesh the neighborhood into the campus’ hilliest area and make walking there enjoyable. In all, Global Village provides housing for over 400 students in the initial phase and is planned for 800-1200 additional students, tripling the number that can live amidst a sophisticated, active zone. Global Plaza provides a mosaic of dining, studying, and socializing spaces, including a permeable café region and restaurant terrace with seating for over 300, a central outdoor lounge with resort-style deep seating, fire pit and trellis-framed performance area, and a south-facing, conical lawn “beach.” An internally-lit, faceted, patterned glass fountain located at the intersection of the plaza’s pedestrian flows serves as a meeting place year round.

The plaza remains in use during Rochester’s cool weather thanks to user-operated timed gas heaters in the café seating zone, umbrellas for hot or drizzling days, and a fire pit in the central lounge. In the coldest months, the lounge may be cleared, lined, and flooded to transform into a small skating rink. During warmer months, the University programs the plaza with almost daily events including performances, festivals, and other student gatherings. Large canopy tree species, generally absent on campus, will over time reinforce Global Plaza as a landmark for RIT. The project’s compact layout, pedestrian orientation, bicycle facilities, planted roof, distributed rain gardens and provision for summer shade contributed to the project’s LEED Gold rating. Sustainable materials include ungrouted pavers, mostly manufactured within 500 miles, and plantation-grown 2x lumber for the trellises and bike parking canopies. Global Plaza instantly became the campus social hub and Global Village its most popular housing when completed in Fall 2010. “It’s been a great gathering place, the kind of common square you see in great cities” noted Mary-Beth Cooper, RIT’s Senior Vice President for Student Affairs. Dr James Watters, RIT’s Senior Vice President for Finance & Administration, says, “The plaza is a huge success. We had kids sitting out deep into the fall, which, given our weather, is exceptional.”

Related Projects

CyFair College

The CyFair College Campus is a model for environmentally responsible development and restoration of a sensitive ecosystem. Located on the suburban fringe of northwest Houston, it is surrounded by the Katy Prairie, an endangered ecosystem of coastal prairie grass meadows marked by groves of trees and connected to a system of wetlands, bayous and ponds. SWA, in ...

Pearl River Tower

Pearl River’s 70-story tower reaches a maximum height of 309.4 meters and is an exemplar of self-sustaining, high-performance, environmentally intelligent architecture. The project’s landscape design reinforces the principles of sustainability and zero-energy usage accomplished by the building’s siting, architecture, and engineering. It creates a v...

Scripps College Residence

The landscape design for the new residence hall builds on the Scripps College campus tradition of landscaped courtyards formed by buildings and circulation corridors. In doing so, the design helps to establish a new east-west axis connecting the main campus to future recreation facilities to the east. The project also improves interrelationships and connection...

Poly Zhuhai

Large, flexible spaces offer both intimate and grand experiences.
This large mixed-use development located at the central axis of Hengqin Island, which was created from landfill near Macao. The site is to the south of the small Hengqin Mountain, facing a civic sports park on the other side.

The main office tower has a large, square footprint, elev...

Kasumigaseki Plaza Renewal

Tokyo’s first high-rise and architectural landmark is located in the heart of downtown, where government and major private business offices are concentrated. Urban growth changed the dynamics of the building’s surroundings and left its public spaces ineffective and barren. The addition of new mixed-use buildings provided the owners with an opportunity to bring...

Medgar Evers College

This new quad provides a unifying pedestrian connection between Bedford and Franklin Avenues and between existing and new campus buildings, finally providing the campus with a cohesive identity and sense of place. With the dramatic transformation of a parking lot into more campus green space comes the opportunity to integrate a series of sustainability strateg...

Stanford Toyon Hall

Toyon Hall, a significant historic building originally designed by Bakewell and Brown Architects in 1922, is a three-story structure centered around a magnificent formal courtyard with arcades and arches. The purpose of the project was to preserve, maintain and enhance the building and site. SWA scope of work included evaluation of existing site conditions and...

Cañada College Kinesiology & Wellness

In collaboration with ELS, SWA designed a new landmark for Canada College, the Kinesiology & Wellness Center.  The project replaced a windowless 1960s-era gym building and outdoor asphalt yard with the glassy new building and infinity pool deck on this hilltop campus with fantastic views.  The project also created a new campus arrival and ceremonial overlo...