Saint Peter's University: MacMahon Student Center

  • 12/01/14
Saint Peter's University

PHOTOS © KAT NANIA/SHEPLEY BULFINCH and ROBFAULKNER.COM

Since opening its doors last year, the Thomas MacMahon Student Center has become a defining landmark for Saint Peter’s University in the dense urban fabric of Jersey City, NJ.

Designed by Shepley Bulfinch, the sixstory, 87,800-square-foot building is the first-ever student center in the school’s 140-year history and the first major construction project on the campus since 1974. In addition to providing a social crossroads for the university’s 3,100 residential and commuter students, the Center has put Saint Peter’s at the center of Jersey City’s civic life, hosting community events from mayoral debates to county science fair honor award ceremonies.

The MacMahon Center is an important element in the school’s plans to position itself competitively. The six-story Center, which spans the east side of the Jersey City campus, is also envisioned as a catalyst for the revitalization of nearby McGinley Square, building redevelopment momentum sparked by the cluster of financial institutions that now populate a stretch of Jersey City along the Hudson known as “Wall Street West.”

The Center unites under one roof activities that were previously scattered around the school’s 25-acre campus. A ground-floor living room features a mix of seating and a working fireplace, as well as a home for the Jesuit school’s campus ministry. On the floors above, the building provides dining facilities, a fitness room and game area, and student activity rooms. The sixth-floor Duncan Family Sky Room hosts special events for the university and the community, with its breathtaking views of the skyline of lower Manhattan and a seating capacity of 430.

The Center integrates a number of sustainable strategies in its design, including the use of recycled materials for many components, including the use of 50-percent recycled aluminum on the exterior curtain wall. More than 90 percent of the project’s construction waste was recycled.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • University of Kentucky Integrates New Cleaning Technology

    The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., recently installed a new cleaning system designed to improve cooling efficiency on campus, according to a news release. The Facilities Management’s Utilities and Energy Management Unit installed new chiller tubes into two of the chillers at the university’s Central Utility Plant.

  • Agualta STEAM Engine

    Outdoor Learning Spaces and Biophilic Design Create Community in East Los Angeles

    Griffith STEAM Magnet Middle School's Agualta STEAM Engine blends education, community, and nature through its adaptable design.

  • Key Considerations for Office-to-Higher-Education Facility Conversions

    Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, office-to-alternative-use conversions have become a recurring subject of urban development discourse. Office utilization rates across major U.S. cities remain below 50%, with vacancy rates exceeding 27% in San Francisco and 16% in New York. Higher education facilities present programmatic and spatial use cases that align readily with the typical characteristics of commercial office buildings.

  • Singlewire Software Report Reveals Gaps in K–12 School Entrance Security

    Single Software recently released its first-ever School Entrance Security Report based on more than 500 responses from U.S. school staff members. According to a news release, the findings highlight a gap between K–12 leaders’ wishes for school safety and how safe the schools actually are, as well as the challenges facing students and staff in that goal.

Digital Edition