Sasaki Associates, Inc.

Salisbury University Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons

SALISBURY UNIVERSITY PATRICIA R. GUERRIERI ACADEMIC COMMONS

Sasaki

Salisbury University Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons
© Jeremy Bitterman

ARCHITECTS
Sasaki

EXECUTIVE ARCHITECT
Gilbane Inc.

DESIGN/BUILD LEAD
Ayers Saint Gross

PHOTOGRAPHS
Jeremy Bitterman

AREA
226000 ft²

YEAR
2016

LOCATION
Salisbury, United States

CATEGORY
University

Salisbury University Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons
© Jeremy Bitterman

Text description provided by architect.

Strategically located at the core of the campus, Salisbury University's new Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons significantly transforms how teaching and learning occur on campus.

The new building allows the university to bring all of their academic support programs together in combination with a state-of-the-art library, classrooms, cafe, 400-seat assembly space, and the Nabb Research Center—a special collections library dedicated to the history and culture of the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Salisbury University Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons
© Jeremy Bitterman
Salisbury University Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons
© Jeremy Bitterman

Common ground for all of the university's academic disciplines, the Academic Commons fully supports all modes of study and learning, from individual contemplative study to collaborative, technology-rich group engagement.

The program elements are arrayed around a dramatic four-story learning commons with each floor dedicated to a specific type of learning. The ground floor is devoted to staff-supported collaboration.

The second floor contains program elements focused on teaching and learning skills, the third floor is dedicated to individual reflective learning, and the fourth floor, which contains the Nabb Research Center and a 400-seat assembly space, facilitates engagement with original sources and supports learning through public dialogue.

Salisbury University Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons
© Jeremy Bitterman
Salisbury University Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons
© Jeremy Bitterman

A critical challenge of the project was siting the building. Its location at the historic crossroads on campus required strategies to knit the building into the existing fabric and diminish the impact of its 226,000 square feet.

The building also mediates between very different scales and characteristics on campus.

To the east the building faces onto Route 13 and the community of Salisbury, requiring a civic expression and a more monumental scale, as the building serves as a gateway and point of arrival for the community.

Salisbury University Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons
© Jeremy Bitterman
Salisbury University Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons
© Jeremy Bitterman

To the west, the building frames Red Square, the iconic student square and gathering space for the university, requiring a much more informal and intimate scale and expression.


Salisbury University Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons
Floor Breakdown 3D Plan
Salisbury University Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons
Axonometric


Salisbury University Patricia R. Guerrieri Academic Commons
Axonometric Views

Sasaki Associates, Inc.
T +1 617 9263300 F +1 617 9242748
Sasaki Associates, Inc.
110 Chauncy St Suite 200, Boston, MA 02111, United States