Fifth and Clyde Residence Hall
Carnegie Mellon University is on track to build a 98,000-square-foot residential living space that will shape the future of on-campus housing.
The new building at the corner of Fifth and Clyde will bring more beds to on-campus housing and new amenities to the community. It is also the first new construction for Housing Services that will further enhance CMU's neighborhood concept, creating a student experience that reaches beyond traditional residential living.
Housing Services and Residential Education, both departments within the Division of Student Affairs, are partnering with LTL Architects, a New-York based, design-intensive architecture firm, and PWWG Architects, a local urban, sustainability-focused architecture firm, to begin construction of the six-story, 265-bed residence hall in late fall of 2019.
The new building is the first in a series of planned residence hall projects throughout CMU's campus neighborhoods — Fifth Avenue, Morewood Corridor and the Hill.
“Over the next many years, we’re going to enhance the neighborhood feel and experience within these main areas of campus,” says Tom Cooley, CMU’s executive director of Housing Services and space planning. "Each new or renovated residence hall will offer space that is open to the entire CMU community and will contribute to that particular neighborhood in unique ways."
The 5,000-square-foot Fifth and Clyde community space — referred to as the Fifth Avenue Neighborhood Commons — will offer a unique neighborhood identity, setting the stage for students to practice their next concert piece or plug-in and play in the dedicated music space and jam room; to dance and practice yoga in the wellness space; and to study solo or gather with faculty for team projects in the study nooks and multipurpose spaces.
At the heart of the Fifth Avenue Neighborhood Commons will be the hearth, a place to gather, commune, relax or study that warms the body and creates community.
"The Neighborhood Commons will be for everyone — all CMU undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff and university community members," says Cooley. "Specifically for our students, we want our neighborhoods to enhance their university experience by creating spaces to socialize, have fun, engage in meaningful, one-on-one relationships, create synergies inside and outside of classroom learning, rejuvenate, play and connect with their university in tangible ways.”
In addition to the common space, the Fifth and Clyde building will be equipped with residential laundry facilities and community kitchens, WiFi and a courtyard.
The new residence hall will earn a LEED Gold certification for its commitment to environmental sustainability, addressing air quality concerns from some neighborhood residents.
CMU solicited student feedback in addition to community feedback in monthly workshops throughout the planning process.
Cooley says the building will be ready for its new residents in August 2021. “Our students are here to live and learn and they want a facility that’s going to support them in that. Fifth and Clyde is going to do that.”
Fifth and Clyde is part of a comprehensive university housing initiative, outlined in its master plan as a phased approach, to strengthen the CMU's neighborhoods, maximize the value of existing housing inventory and amenities, provide more on-campus student housing and contribute positively to the urban environment.
Fifth and Clyde’s courtyard, where students and the community can relax and rejuvenate in a green space.
Photo credits: LTL Architects and PWWG