Project Details
- Project Name
- PPR Residence Hall
- Location
- PA
- Architect
- Digsau
- Client/Owner
- Swarthmore College
- Project Types
- Student Housing
- Project Scope
- New Construction
- Size
- 55,000 sq. feet
- Shared by
- Madeleine D'Angelo
- Project Status
- Built
- Cost
- $22,000,000
2020 RADA Winner
Student Housing, Award
PPR Residence Hall
Swarthmore, Pa.
Digsau
Palmer, Pittenger, and Roberts Residence Hall (PPR for short), a new dormitory at Swarthmore College, represents a major achievement in campus design for Philadelphia-based Digsau. Sited just opposite a century-old collection of student housing, the project weaves the existing residential quad into the broader life of the college: The architects not only appropriated the fence from an adjacent baseball diamond into the building itself, but they added an outdoor terrace as a spectator space.
The move highlights a bustling and engaging program that includes kitchen facilities, community gathering spaces, in-suite bike storage, and ecologically sensitive waste-disposal systems. Special care is given to energy efficiency throughout, creating teachable moments for the 128 students who live there. Students washing their clothes, for example, will draw on water heated by a rooftop solar array; will have their water use monitored by sensors that inform them of their environmental impact; and can hang their completed wash on built-in retractable clotheslines in their dorm rooms, reducing the need for drying machines.
Innovative as it may be, Digsau’s design doesn’t stand apart from Swarthmore’s historic campus. Textural stone exteriors reference the nearby historic dormitories, and the glassy walkways that connect the project’s three blocks open it up to the surrounding greenspace.
PROJECT CREDITS
Project: PPR Residence Hall, Swarthmore, Pa.
Client/Owner: Swarthmore College
Architects: Digsau, Philadelphia. Jules Dingle, FAIA; Jeff Goldstein, FAIA; Mark Sanderson, AIA; Jamie Unkefer, AIA; Aaron Jezzi, AIA; Katey Baniewicz, AIA; John Lewallen; Chris McAdams; Harris Ford, AIA; Kristy Kimball, AIA; Priyanka Sen; Jamie Ferello
Mechanical Engineer: Bruce E. Brooks
Structural Engineer: CVM
Electrical Engineer: Bruce E. Brooks
Civil Engineer: Langan
Construction Manager: W.S. Cumby
Landscape Architect: Studio Bryan Hanes
Lighting Designer: BEAM Ltd.
Sustainability Consultant: Re:Vision Architecture
Façade Consultant: The Façade Group
Vertical Transport: Lerch Bates
Code Consultant: Jensen Hughes
MATERIALS AND SOURCES
Coatings, Adhesives and Sealants: Tremco (Spectrem® 1, Single-Component, Moisture-Cure Silicone Sealant, Spectrem® 4, Multi-Component, Neutral-Cure, Non-Staining Silicone Sealant, THC 900 & 901, Multi-Component, Polyurethane Joint Sealant, Tremsil® 200, One Part Acetoxy Silicone Sealant, Tremflex® 834, Siliconized Acrylic Latex Sealant), MasonPro (Lap Rite, One Part Non-Skinning Butly Metal Flashing Sealant) Fraklin International (TiteBond, GREENchoice Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive)
Appliances: GE Appliances
Toilets: Toto (Toto CT705EN(G) w/ Toto TET1LA Ecopower® Flush Valve)
Sinks: Corian (Solid Surface Bowl 810P)
Faucets: Moen (Moen Faucet "M-Press" 8889)
Carpet: Mohawk Group (Carpet First Step II Tile, QL 35 PD, ColorBeat Tile GT160, Starting Over Tile GT316, Rookie Tile GT155 PD, First Step II Tile QL 35 PD)
Cabinets: National Woodwork Manufacturing
Ceilings: Armstrong (Drywall/Stucco/Plaster – Flat Ceilings Suspension Systems)
Cement and Fly Ash: Riverside Portland Cement
Admixtures: Sika Corp
Fiber Reinforcement: Euclid Chemical Corporation
Countertops: Corian Solid Surface
Air Barrier and Waterproofing: Henry Company (Blueskin® SA, Blueskin® WP200)
Roller Shade Fabric: MechoShade Systems
Booth Seating Fabric: Knoll Textiles,
Finished Plywood Paneling: National Woodwork Manufacturing
Flooring: Johnsonite Inc (Linoleum Sheet Flooring, LinoFloor xf2, Tonali 202 Aged Concrete), Daltile (Keystones 2x2 Mosaic Tile, D014 Desert Grey)
Furniture: Savoy Contract Furniture, Herman Miller, KI, Leland International
Glass: PPG (Vitro Architectural Glass), OldCastle Building Envelope
Gypsum: Continental Building Products (FIRECHECK® Drywall, MOLD DEFENCE® Drywall, SHAFTLINER Board)
Boilers: Aerco
DOAS System: Addison
Split System: LG Air Conditioning Technologies
Hydronic Pumps: Taco Comfort Solutions: Taco Comfort Solutions,
Ductless Valance Hydronic Heating and Cooling Unit, Sigma Corporation,
Cabinet Unit Heaters: Marley Engineered Products, BERKO
Insulation:
- Johns Manville, COMFORTTHERM® Fiber Glass Insulation
- The Dow Chemical Company, STYROFOAM™ Brand Extruded Polystyrene Foam (XPS) Square Edge Insulation
- Roxul, CavityRock®, Semi-Rigid Mineral Wool Insulation Board
- Carlisle, SecurShield® Polyiso HD Insulation
- Owens Corning, FOAMULAR®, Extruded Polystyrene Insulation
Kitchen fixtures: Sink and Faucet: Elkay (Gourmet (Lustertone®) Stainless Steel Single Bowl Undermount Sink Model(s) ELUH211510 w/ Allure Kitchen Faucet Model(s) LK7921SSS)
Lighting Control Systems: TRI-M Group
Interior Lighting:
- Surface Mounted Ceiling Lights: Philips Lightolier
- Recessed Downlights: Gotham Architectural Downlighting
- Fan Lights: Big Ass Fans, Haiku
- Linear Lights: Prudential Lighting
- Round Wall Lights: Design Plan
- Pendant Spot Lights: Philips
- Standoff Wall Lights: ALW
Exterior Lighting:
- Pole Lights: Kim Lighting
- Bollard Lights: BEGA
- Linear Lights:, Luminii
- Grade Lights: B-K Lighting, Precision
Masonry and Stone:Vermont Structural Slate Company, (Slate Sculpings Stone, Unfading Mottled Green & Purple, Slate Shingle, Unfading Mottled Green & Purple)Exterior Standing Seam Wall Panels: Englert
Paints and Finishes: Sherwin Williams (ProMar® Zero VOC, SherCrete® Flexible Concrete Waterproofer, Pro-IndustrialTM High Performance Acrylic Coatings, ProBlock® Interior Oil Based Primer, Sherwin Williams, DRY ERASE Clear Gloss Coating KB65C2000 Kit)
Photovoltaic System: Everest Solar Systems
Photovoltaic Panel: Suniva
Solar Hot Water: UMA Solar
Water Source Heat Pump: ClimateMaster
Stormwater Reclaim System: Penn Pump & Equipment Company, and Nowesco, Inc. Water Heater: Aerco
Roofing: Carlisle (Sure-Weld TPO, 60 mil, Fully Adhered), Henry Company (790-11 Hot Rubberized Asphalt System, 125 MIL)
Thermally Modified Wood Decking: Arbor Wood Co.
Wood Decking Pedestal: Bison Innovative Products
Stone Paving: American Bluestone
Precast Concerete Pedestal Pavers: Hanover Architectural Product
Metal Decking: Epic Metals (Epicore® Roof and Floor Deck Ceiling System)
Precast Concrete Panels: Bocella Precast
Steel Framing: Chowns Fabrication & Rigging
Cold Formed Metal Framing: ClarkDietrich Building Systems
Wallcoverings: Exterior Athletic Pads: Macino Manufacturing Co.
Curtainwalls: EFCO Corporation (System 5600 SSG)
Windows: Wausau Window and Wall Systems (4520i XLT OS Invent_
Exterior Entrance Doors: Duratherm Window Corporation
HM Doors: Curries, Wood Doors: Masonite Architectural, Graham Wood Doors