Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Gallaudet University: Living and Learning Residence Hall 6

  • 10/01/15
Living and Learning Residence Hall 6

PHOTOS © PRAKASH PATEL

In August 2012, Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, opened its newest residence hall and collaboration space, the Living and Learning Residence Hall 6 (LLRH6). The building includes architectural design concepts known as DeafSpace, which emphasizes community building, visual language and the promotion of personal safety and well being.

The DeafSpace Project began on Gallaudet’s campus in 2005 and involved a cross-section of students, staff and faculty. The group developed DeafSpace Guidelines, a catalogue of more than 150 distinct architectural design elements that address the five major touch points between deaf experiences and the built environment: space and proximity, sensory reach, mobility and proximity, light and color, and acoustics.

“DeafSpace codifies ideas and a way of thinking that is embedded in deaf experiences,” says Hansel Bauman, director of campus design and planning at Gallaudet. “At its heart, LLRH6 expresses the unique deaf ways of being. The building was designed to facilitate both planned and spontaneous forms of communication. We created the environment in a way that fosters interaction and self-expression.”

LLRH6, designed by LTL Architects in collaboration with Quinn Evans Architects, is 60,000 square feet, with five floors and 175 beds. Common areas, including a large terraced living room, classrooms, offices and a flexible collaboration studio, are open to the campus community.

“Throughout the design process for LLRH6, the concept of the residence hall as a home has been critical and as a community, we have come together to define what this means,” says Susan Hanrahan, director of residence life.

“LLRH6 gives Gallaudet University students a space where they can live, study, and collaborate in a new way,” says President T. Alan Hurwitz. “The building’s design encourages interaction and fosters a strong sense of community. Innovations, such as LLRH6, are the reason why Gallaudet is the leader in education for deaf and hard of hearing people.”

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Niles West High School Natatorium Renovation

    Natatoriums are highly specialized spaces, and luminaires in this setting face several unique challenges. Perhaps the most significant is corrosion, which is exacerbated by high indoor humidity, condensation, and pool chemicals, often resulting in material degradation in luminaires not certified to perform in corrosive environments.

  • Harvard Announces Replacement Facility for Native American Program

    Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., recently announced that construction will begin this spring on a new home for its Native American Program, according to university news. The 6,500-square-foot, all-electric building will stand three stories and serve as the central hub for the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP).

  • Massachusetts K–12 District Selects Architect for New Junior High

    Swansea Public Schools in Swansea, Mass., recently announced that it has selected Finegold Alexander Architects to design a new junior high school for the district, according to a news release. The firm will create the Feasibility Study and Schematic Design for Joseph Case Junior High School after a lengthy selection process by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.