Ernie Davis Hall

Project Description

The building massing of Ernie Davis Hall parallels DellPlain Hall to the east, creating a southern facing courtyard between the two buildings. The building massing celebrates the hall’s geographical proximity to the Quadrangle and the Lawn. Juxtaposition of program elements capitalizes on the character of the site and the dynamic interconnectivity of the elements themselves. Distributed along the length of the Comstock block, the programs animate the spaces of the building and the street. The southwest entrance, located at the corner of Comstock Avenue and University Place, is the front door to the residence hall, the dining hall, the recreation and academic spaces, as well as DellPlain Hall beyond. The interior sidewalk or inclined plane rises through the dining hall to the second or DellPlain level, in essence connecting the Quadrangle and the Lawn with the entire DellPlain block. The interior sidewalk is a place of encounters and socialization, providing relief from the elements, while physically and visually connecting the diverse program activities within to the outside. Walkers, bikers, stationary bikers, billiards players, diners, residents, visitors, all share the energy of Ernie Davis Hall.

At grade dining is dispersed on three terraced levels that negotiate the topographic slope of Comstock Avenue, merging the dining space with the exterior. Recreation and academic functions, the residence hall entry and the convenience store are located on the second partial level overlooking either dining and the inclined plane or the courtyard between DellPlain and Ernie Davis Hall.

On the residential levels, twenty-four students and one residential advisor form close-knit residence life communities. Corridor windows, lounges and studies are strategically placed to maximize daylight, transparency and views, transforming the typical internalized double-loaded corridor into a porous, light and view enhanced experience. Student rooms are an equal combination of singles and the traditional, uniquely Syracuse University split double. Each room has a floor to ceiling window with both fixed and operable panels and views to the beautifully rolling central New York landscape. While the expanse of the two story glazed wall along Comstock Avenue addresses the collective university experience, the individuated windows of the upper residential facades speak to the identity of the single student within the greater collective.

Ernie Davis Hall strategically addresses the University master plan by completing the DellPlain block, invigorating the life of the sidewalk and street, addressing the scale of DellPlain Hall and the buildings along University Place to the west, improving the connectivity to the Lawn and the Quadrangle from the northeast section of the campus and DellPlain Hall, and finally through a distinct but compatible architecture that complements a campus of great architectural diversity.

Ernie Davis Hall achieved a LEED Version 2.2 Gold certification, a laudable achievement for this building type.