BBN recently completed a new student housing building adjacent to Kansas State University near the Van Zile, Boyd, and Putnam Hall complex. These adjacent building forms influenced the architecture and the collegiate notion of a walkable campus influenced the site design. It was engaging to think about this project type within the context of the adjacent “academic” architecture of the campus.

Creating an appropriate site and scale relationship to the public street – Ratone Street – was critical. The structure is 3 stories in height with a long east-west orientation. The middle majority of the building is set back from the sidewalk creating a landscape buffer. Tenants within the building have a comfortable relationship to the street; passers by have a comfortable relationship to the building.

The building is a mix of three, two, and one bedroom units which feature 9 feet + ceiling heights, flexible floor plans, and floor to ceiling kitchen cabinetry. On the third floor, south facing dormer windows open into double height units. There is fenced off-street parking behind the building. Units are accessed from the street and parking lot via interior conditioned stairways. The central stair wraps up and over the arch entry and forms an open atrium space.