A new hub for student life
University Commons
University of New England
Biddeford, ME
As the new “downtown” for the Biddeford Campus, this unique space was designed to better serve students, faculty, and the community. With efforts to improve recruitment and retention, this project is a campus center complete with dining, scholarship, and social space.
The University of New England’s new Danielle N. Ripich University Commons unites dining, scholarship, and social interaction at one central location, creating a “downtown” for the University’s Biddeford campus. Following the completion of their campus master plan in 2014, the University identified campus recruitment and retention as strategic priorities. The Commons addresses these priorities by creating an exciting, unique space that attracts students and serves the entire campus.
Initially focused on adding a new dining hall, the project evolved to encompass student life as a whole. In addition to housing the main dining hall, the Commons offers flexible event and community spaces, study spaces, common areas, and recreation spaces. To link student life with academic endeavors, the campus library is directly connected to the Commons on the second floor via a bridge. The building intersects several main campus pathways and features stunning views of the nearby Saco River from windows on each floor.
Divided into subsections, the Commons is a single building designed to feel like a village, bringing together multiple aspects of campus life and representing both the variety of programs housed within it and the UNE student body as a whole. Notable features include a central “Living Room” space for the campus, an open stair with a living wall, 13 private staff offices, nine meeting rooms, the global outreach center, and a non-denominational reflection room. Sustainability measures include daylight harvesting, stormwater management, and an energy recovery system.