St. Edward’s University Dorms
Austin, Texas, USA · 2008
Photo · Photo by Cristobal Palma
This project serves as an excellent precedent for utilizing bold color-blocked glass curtain walls and elevated massing to define a sheltered, multi-use university courtyard.
- What we like about this project
- A single, robust circular concrete column supports the massive elevated bridge volume, maximizing open ground space.
Materials
- glass
- brick
- concrete
- steel
Visual identifiers
- red-glass-facade
- elevated-bridge-building
- brick-courtyard
- concrete-column-support
- curtain-wall
Style tags
- contemporary
- expressive-modernism
- color-blocking
Visual tags
- campus-architecture
- courtyard
- color-blocking
- cantilever-bridge
- student-housing
- shading-canopy
- Geometry
- The building forms a semi-enclosed courtyard with a dramatic elevated bridge volume supported by a single round concrete column. The upper facades are composed of vertical rectangular glass panels in alternating red, black, and clear glazing, while the ground level features warm-toned brick masonry.
- Facade system
- Unitized glass curtain wall with colored glass infill panels.
- Structural guess
- Reinforced concrete frame with steel-framed elevated bridge spans.
- Spatial scale
- A multi-story academic or residential complex scaled to accommodate student life, with a generous pedestrian-scale plaza.
- Lighting
- Bright, direct sunlight casts sharp, geometric shadows across the brick plaza, highlighting the contrast between the shaded undercroft and the sunlit open courtyard.
- Atmosphere
- Vibrant and academic, defined by the bold red glazing and the dynamic interplay of light and deep shadow.
- Environmental context
- An institutional or university campus courtyard setting under a clear blue sky.
- Spatial experience
- The design transitions from a sheltered, shaded undercroft beneath the elevated bridge into a bright, open-air brick-paved courtyard, creating a strong sense of threshold and community gathering.
- Composition rhythm
- A strong vertical rhythm is established by the alternating red, black, and transparent glass panels of the curtain wall.
- Style reading
- Contemporary expressive modernism
- Program
- University student housing and communal courtyard
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture
- Materials
- glass, brick, concrete, steel
- Visual identifiers
- red-glass-facade, elevated-bridge-building, brick-courtyard, concrete-column-support, curtain-wall
- Style tags
- contemporary, expressive-modernism, color-blocking
- Visual tags
- campus-architecture, courtyard, color-blocking, cantilever-bridge, student-housing, shading-canopy
- Geometry
- The building forms a semi-enclosed courtyard with a dramatic elevated bridge volume supported by a single round concrete column. The upper facades are composed of vertical rectangular glass panels in alternating red, black, and clear glazing, while the ground level features warm-toned brick masonry.
- Facade system
- Unitized glass curtain wall with colored glass infill panels.
- Structural guess
- Reinforced concrete frame with steel-framed elevated bridge spans.
- Spatial scale
- A multi-story academic or residential complex scaled to accommodate student life, with a generous pedestrian-scale plaza.
- Lighting
- Bright, direct sunlight casts sharp, geometric shadows across the brick plaza, highlighting the contrast between the shaded undercroft and the sunlit open courtyard.
- Atmosphere
- Vibrant and academic, defined by the bold red glazing and the dynamic interplay of light and deep shadow.
- Environmental context
- An institutional or university campus courtyard setting under a clear blue sky.
- Spatial experience
- The design transitions from a sheltered, shaded undercroft beneath the elevated bridge into a bright, open-air brick-paved courtyard, creating a strong sense of threshold and community gathering.
- Composition rhythm
- A strong vertical rhythm is established by the alternating red, black, and transparent glass panels of the curtain wall.
- Style reading
- Contemporary expressive modernism
- Program
- University student housing and communal courtyard
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture