Rendering of new residential colleges at Princeton University, as seen from Poe Field. (click to expand)

Earlier this year, Princeton University made a presentation to the Princeton Planning Board about their new Colleges. The two new Colleges are intended firstly to provide a residence for 500 extra undergraduates that the University intends to enroll as its student body expands. The new Colleges will also provide ‘swing space’, providing a temporary home for existing undergraduates during redevelopment of aging College buildings. We reported about the proposed development in February of this year. Ronald McCoy, the Princeton University Architect, presented about the Concept Plan for the new Colleges, assisted by attorney Christopher DeGrezia, and Maitland Jones, who was representing Deborah Berke Partners, the firm that is designing the new buildings.

The new Colleges will be built on the site of existing athletic facilities, near Poe Field:

Location of new Residential Colleges of Princeton University. (click to expand)

The University has given the new Colleges the provisional names ‘College 7’ and ‘College 8’. They are connected on the same site, which is currently a site for athletics. The athletics facilities will be relocated to the new Princeton University ‘Lake Campus‘, to the south of Carnegie Lake, in West Windsor. University Architect Ron McCoy emphasized the pedestrian connections to other parts of the campus. The buildings will have a ‘contemporary’ architectural style, with a narrow form, and extensive walking paths and landscaping. The central path on the site, between the two new Colleges is called ‘College Walk’. Each College will have its own dining hall, with a shared kitchen.

Walking paths between the two new residential colleges of Princeton University. (click to expand)

Substantial consideration has been given to creating suitable living spaces for undergraduates of different communities. The halls of the buildings will be designed to allow a mixture of students from different classes, but with similar interests, while avoiding ‘long lightless’ spaces. The goal is to encourage students to develop a four-year affinity for their College. The University will also incorporate substantial sustainability features in the new buildings, advancing the Universities goal to become carbon-neutral by 2046. The new Colleges will be designed to a ‘LEED Gold’ standard, with passive solar design to optimize the amount of sunlight entering the buildings to minimize energy costs. The buildings will also have a ‘high-performance envelope’ for insulation, and will take advantage of geothermal energy.

Another view of walking paths linking the new residential colleges at Princeton University (click to expand)

Following questions with members of the Planning Board, Ron McCoy expanded on previously-discussed plans for a new bridge across Carnegie Lake, to link the main Princeton Campus with new development at the ‘Lake Campus’. McCoy confirmed that the bridge would be used for walkers and cyclists only, and also, potentially, ‘golf carts’.

View all the slides from the University’s presentation about their new colleges at this link. The presentation at Princeton Planning Board can be viewed in the video below: