Olympia Place
Holst Architecture
YEAR
2016
LOCATION
Amherst, MA, United States
TYPE
Residential › Student Housing
This privately developed student housing building in Amherst, Massachusetts will provide approximately 232 beds for students within the wood-framed 5-stories.
Referencing traditional New England academic architecture, the Holst team designed the large building to resemble a cluster of gables.
The total effect results in an accessible small-village campus feel.
Two courtyards are formed by the building’s bays, providing a gathering space and access to nature for students.
In addition to 73 units ranging from studios to 4-bedroom suites, the building provides common spaces on the ground floor, including meeting spaces and a welcoming lobby with reception desk.
Situated in a beautiful woodland setting, the architects wanted to break down the scale of the large building into smaller volumes.
The brick and white metal exterior is designed for visual contrast, and makes the building appear less like one large mass and more like an accessible student village.
