To meet increasing student demand for on-campus housing, Canisius College commissioned CannonDesign to provide design services for Dugan Residence Hall, a concrete framed student residence. The facility was part of the college’s ongoing effort to transform the college from a primarily commuter-based college to a residential one by upgrading housing options and other amenities that attract students to campus.
The site selected for the new main housing complex was the last open parcel of land on the urban campus’s main quad. Major challenges included providing a comfortable, attractive student residence that would conform to various site constraints and be aesthetically compatible with the neighboring historic community. In addition to adding 270 beds to the campus's residential capacity, the seven-story facility also contains common study areas, a kitchenette on each floor, a business center, and multipurpose rooms. Underground connecting tunnels were included across the quad to link the dormitory to adjacent buildings.
