CSU Euclid Avenue Mixed-Use

Cleveland State University

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CLIENT GOALS

CSU needed to improve their existing student housing stock to enhance student recruitment and retention rates. As with most urban campuses, neighborhood context, pre-existing street grids, and vertical programmatic requirements needed to be addressed together if the integration of new housing was going to contribute to the University's overall sense of place. Financial constraints dictated that this be a P3 (public-private partnership) arrangement. The overall design direction was to continue the CSU strategic effort of “de-bunkering” their urban campus.

SOLUTIONS

A 601-bed two-phase student housing community was designed including an adjacent parking garage to serve the housing and academic core. The project consists of 5 building segments, connected to one another by elevated enclosed walkways. Each building segment contains approximately 120 beds in single and double occupancy bedrooms. The new mixed-use complex sits at a highly visible location on the Euclid Avenue Corridor, helping to unite downtown Cleveland with University Circle, a busy cultural hub. In addition to housing, the completed project includes Student Housing Offices, the University’s Admissions and Welcome Center, University Marketing Department and Parking Services Office.

RESULTS

The development’s design was guided by New Urbanism design principals, with natural traffic slowing devices, open space amenities, and pedestrian connectivity to Cleveland’s urban grid. The project met the University’s sustainability standards and achieved LEED Silver certification. The resulting aesthetic and organizational principals further became the basis for the University’s standard for future design and implementation.

“Having worked with you and WMF on a number of privatized student housing developments, I respect your insight, responsiveness, attention to detail and concern for designing the best solution for each collegiate client we engage. Your designs reflect the needs of our clients and their students. Your firm’s involvement in construction pricing has played a critical role in helping us meet budgets and schedules. Your team always responds with a swift and positive nature."

Noel Brinkman
Vice President / Public Private Partnerships

American Campus Communities, Inc.