
Residence Halls
Hocking College
Location:
Nelsonville, Ohio
Architect:
DesignGroup
Awards:
2009 Outstanding Achievement Award - ACEC
Construction Cost:
$14 million
Project Size:
100,000 SF
The new Hocking College Residence Hall offers its students the most modern college dormitory experience. Located in Nelsonville, Ohio, the “lodge” style complex features two shared double design buildings, totaling 100,000-square-feet of development. The living-quarters is more than just a place for students to eat and sleep, as it includes study, recreation, and meeting rooms, as well as laundry facilities. The overall goal of the college is to offer its students many opportunities for interaction and learning. With a wonderful view of the Hocking Valley, the structure also includes a number of green-built design techniques. The site’s location prompted challenges, as it is located on a hill-side a-top a former coal mine. The mines had to be grouted and a deep foundation was put in place for the two structures. A cost-effective approach was implemented using a steel staggered truss system to frame the two seven-story buildings. This system was chosen since it complemented the use of the building and the site challenges. The system resulted in half the number of foundations that would be required with more conventional framing systems. This resulted in a significant savings of foundation costs.