SNHU: College for America Suite
Manchester, NH
College for America, a part of Southern New Hampshire University, is an innovative college offering competency based curricula at an affordable cost with flexible scheduling tailored to working adults. DSK partnered with CfA and SNHU to create a new suite for this groundbreaking and growing program that both allowed them to grow their staff and also reaffirmed their digital identity in a physical space. DSK worked to develop a program that provided CfA staff spaces to work both individually as well as collaboratively within an existing building in downtown Manchester. The program resulted in a conceptual design that took a metaphorical “dining room table” approach to modern office space. Staff have desks within quieter office zones (the metaphorical “bedrooms”), these quiet zones are complemented by conference rooms of varying size, an auditorium, and a communal kitchen/dining area. The space plan encourages staff interaction and collaboration, building off of CfA’s already successful whiteboard culture where you can see their innovative approach to higher-ed in the planning stages. Space typologies are connected by a series of corridors creating a figure-eight through the space. The corridors have a few special features, not only providing a means of circulation, but also creating a public streetscape with the occasional open space where the corridor widens along a gentle curve. These curves allow both for a wider public zone and in some instances also allow deeper penetration of daylight into the office suite. The “dining room” is typified by the largest program element, a kitchen/dining that doubles as a large presentation space and cafeteria with adjacent small rooms and booths for smaller meetings.
Client: Southern New Hampshire University
Builder: Mark Carrier Construction, Inc.
