Stever House Redesign 

At Carnegie Mellon University, residence halls have a huge impact on the CMU experience. A student's first campus home is more than a dorm — it is a living space, a collaborative work environment and an extension of their university identity.

In 2017, UCM partnered with Student Affairs to redesign the first floor of Stever House, a first-year residence hall and a stop on the campus tour. At the outset of the redesign, UCM learned that the Stever basement is where all buggies are crafted. They recognized this as an opportunity to promote school pride, entice visitors and celebrate Buggy.

Buggy, officially known as Sweepstakes, is an annual, derby-style race held in Schenley Park during the university's Spring Carnival. This well-known CMU tradition dates back to 1920.

In today's context, buggies represent the fun, but still competitive, student experience, so including them as a core theme was a no-brainer. The personality of the project came alive with a careful balance of illustration, mural design, interior design and color theory.

While this is the third residence hall that UCM has worked on, it is the largest and most complex space they have designed to date.

Learn more about the areas of expertise we used with this project: