S University Dormitory

A project on a site purchased near campus at a time when every university faced a shortage of dormitory capacity.

The need to secure maximum volume naturally set a regular block, and the northern setback restriction led us to reduce the footprint and instead raise the height to seven stories.

The site has a level difference of over 10 m east-west and a slope of over 6 m north-south. Because of this, the underground parking was placed as self-parking on the second basement level. Entry to the first floor is made from the high front road level, while the first and second basements resolve daylight and ventilation through a large sunken space and exposed walls to the north. A vertical-circulation core is placed where the western slope is steep and access from the road is difficult, and a long north-south mass is set along the road side where the site volume is greatest.

A bookshelf motif evoking an educational-research facility is used on the elevation, letting it function as an object on the street. The hope is that students experience the space and that it is recognized as a local landmark for those passing through.