VMDO‘s Glenn and Towers Renovation + Addition at Georgia Institute of Technology transforms a rather staid existing dormitory quadrangle into a dynamic student nexus. While serving to boost student community, collaboration, and well-being, the scheme also enhances the street edge and enriches its broader context. The project’s sustainable objectives are commendable, not only for attaining LEED Gold Certification, but also for the effective way in which existing buildings are optimized and newly connected.
Glenn and Towers Residence Halls are home to over 600 freshmen. By hosting Georgia Tech’s Freshman Experience, the buildings help incoming residents build a personal and academic foundation within the context of a diverse and inclusive community. The LEED Gold revitalization of the halls included the retrofit of existing attics into student rooms, the addition and reconfiguration of floor study rooms and lounges, and the construction of a connector building that serves as a social and academic hub shared by the residents.
The design of Glenn and Towers improves connectivity and removes barriers to the way students interact – with one another and with the larger campus. A top engineering and science university, Georgia Tech needed a design that would allow students to experience the kinds of spaces they will one day live and work in – specifically, flexible spaces that dissolve boundaries between work and play, study and socialization.
The design of the glass-wrapped connector building, situated between the two residence halls, supports and showcases a nearly endless combination of activities while creating a graceful strategy for surmounting a topographically challenging site from the street up into a renewed quad for Glenn and Towers residents.
Project Name: Glenn and Towers Renovation + Addition, Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, Ga.)
Owner: Georgia Institute of Technology
Architecture Firm: VMDO Architects
Associate Firm: Stevens & Wilkinson
Contractor: New South Construction Company
Photographer: Jonathan Hillyer