PSU Brandywine Orchard Hall
Building
Building
the first campus residence hall.
EDiS served as a joint venture partner with Barton Malow on the construction of Orchard Hall, the first residence hall to be constructed on the Brandywine campus of the Pennsylvania State University. This multi-story 81,000 SF building is located on a sloped wooded site southwest of the existing Vairo Library. The project included 254 beds organized in double rooms, with wet cores provided in every wing at a typical ratio of one bathroom per five beds, including individual bathrooms with a shower, lavatory, and toilet along with outboard sinks and lockers. The facility also includes smaller study and lounge areas on each floor and a multi-purpose room, recreation area, laundry facilities, and offices on the ground floor.
Building
the student experience.
“The students are loving Orchard Hall. It is a great place to live, sleep, study, and hang out. While our student life experience was always excellent, our new residence hall has added a vibrancy that brings the experience to the next level.”
Building
sustainably.
Orchard Hall achieved LEED Silver certification for its sustainable design and environmental performance. To earn LEED Silver certification, the design/build team had to keep track of dozens of details throughout the building process. LEED starts in the design phase and continues until well after the project’s completion, and it considers everything from start to finish, from where the dirt went when the first hole was dug to energy outputs when the building is occupied. The residence hall’s certification is in line with Penn State’s University-wide sustainability initiative. Penn State campuses across the Commonwealth have committed to seeking LEED certification for any new buildings constructed.
Building
with surety thanks to effective planning.
The design-build project team worked on the design and budgeting with architect Clark Nexen for 16 months. Post-bidding, the Barton Malow Company/EDiS BIM team utilized the BIM model and coordinated all subcontractors’ input into the model during the submittal process. Clash detection meetings were held to ensure a coordinated effort between the subcontractors’ installations and the design documents.
Building
for better education.
"Teaching and learning is no longer isolated to Monday through Friday, during business hours. My faculty colleagues and I are now able to teach and engage in research with students at all hours, with the new buildings providing physical spaces and kicking off a transition of the academic campus culture to expand to evenings and weekends. I cannot wait to see how the scholarship of our students and faculty will be enhanced now and the next 50 years into the future.”
Building
to bring the outdoors in.
A unique “L” shaped design was created to help blend the building into the existing sloped, wooded suburban landscape. A two-story atrium was designed above the entrance with a bridge connecting a four-story wing to a three-story wing. To further bring the woodland surroundings into the building, there will be study lounges at the end of each corridor featuring full-height glass on both interior and exterior walls.
1 of 11
Owner's Representative:
C.B Development Services, Inc
JV Partner:
Barton Malow
Design Architect:
Clark Nexsen
Local Architect:
Spiezle Architectural Group
Geotech Engineers:
Hillis-Carnes Engineering
Surveying Engineers:
Kelly & Close Engineers
