Paving Patterns Enliven Campus Hub

Amherst

Easy maintenance and an intricate, modern pattern were two of the benefits Unilock pavers extended to the lively campus hub developed at Amherst College.

The vision for this 20-acre district near the core of the Amherst College campus was developed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, in collaboration with Beyer Blinder Belle, Payette Architects and Kyu Sung Woo Architects. At the heart of this project is the Amherst College Greenway, a new landscape typology that will serve as a 21st-century complement to the historic Freshman Quad.

Located amidst the rolling hills of western Massachusetts, the campus landscape is an expression of its remarkable context. This strong landscape identity plays a major role in the rituals of campus life — walking to and from class, braving the extremes of the New England climate and gathering with friends on the quad — and does more to color the everyday experience of students, faculty, staff and visitors than any other aspect of the college.

Woven into the generous campus landscape fabric is a network of smaller, intimate gathering spaces designed for the social needs of contemporary undergraduate life. Within this context lies the central courtyard of the new college residences. Mediating significant site grade changes and programmatic challenges, this lively outdoor space focuses on fostering diversity and community engagement, while connecting the past and future of the college.

To achieve the desired paving pattern Unilock supplied two colors of the City Park Paver, Winter Marvel and Midnight Sky using the Umbriano finish. This finish resembles natural granite with the proprietary ColorFusion Technology and the built-in EasyClean Stain Resistance helps to ensure the space is easier to maintain. This unique patterning creates an intricate, modern and stimulating pixelated pattern in the lively hub of residential campus life.

www.unilock.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • California High School Opens New Classroom Building for 7th-, 8th-Graders

    Santa Rosa City Schools in Santa Rosa, Calif., recently announced the completion of a new classroom building for Piner High School. As the campus transitions to a Junior/Senior High School, the facility will play home to the school’s new population of seventh- and eighth-grade students.

  • Wyoming District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    Laramie County School District #1 in Cheyenne, Wy., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming Mountain View Elementary School, according to a news release. The facility has an estimated completion date of summer 2028, and it will have the capacity for 650 students in fifth and sixth grade.

  • Haws Corporation Marks 120th Anniversary

    Haws Corporation, which provides hydration and emergency safety solutions worldwide, recently announced that the company is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, according to a news release.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.