Higher Education

Eagle Ridge Student Housing

Emerging from the rolling hills of northwestern Nebraska, three structures rest along the eastern edge of Chadron State College, separating the campus from the expansive short-grass prairie. Utilizing forms reminiscent of local homes and typical agrarian architecture, the small-scale units draw heavily on the established visual language of the region.

Students are welcomed into interior public spaces with distant views of the Pine Ridge, the expansive sky and the adjacent campus mall. Natural daylight floods the living spaces yet is controlled throughout the seasons by generous overhangs and windows recessed within the walls. The continuous roof rising from the ground visually anchors each building to the earth, and landscaping indigenous to the region surrounds the complex to situate the homes in a recognizable setting.

In the evening, interior light permeates at specific intervals, illuminating the countryside like a beacon—a light on a hill. The treatment of student housing as a neighborhood creates an atmosphere of protection and safety that is not only aesthetically charged and beautifully set into the surrounding landscape but is also vital in fostering strong, lasting relationships between students and the community.

Photography by Paul Crosby
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