Merit Project name: Quinnipiac University Health and Wellness Center
Project overview: The Health and Wellness Center brings three existing departments together for the first time– health, counseling, and recreation— and colocates them with new programs in social and nutritional education. The goal was to create a single space that highlights the inherent connections between each program in support of a whole-body approach to wellness. This holistic strategy also serves to de-stigmatize behavioral health treatment through the inclusion of counseling and psychiatric services, supporting mind and body.
Early in the design process, the design team proposed the application of biophilic design throughout the building, based on its documented benefits to mind, body, and spirit. Embracing biophilia posited a powerful proposal: that the architecture of the building itself—not just the clinical and recreational services it hosts—could positively impact student wellness.
All of the materials for the project were locally sourced and minimally processed, including the spruce-pine-fir structure and granite base. The materials, patterns, and textures of the building are complemented by views to nature outside. The L-shaped building creates an interior courtyard, which serves a quiet, peaceful space. Scattered throughout the building are contemplative spaces that connect occupants to the natural world through non-visual cues. Indirect suggestions of nature allow for privacy where required, like in counseling offices.
The building is LEED Silver, using mass-timber as a strategy to reduce overall embodied carbon. Since opening, weekly student counts have more than tripled from 3,500 visits at the old facility to 12,000 at the new building.
Project location: Hamden, Connecticut
Firm name: designLAB architects
Architect of Record: designLAB architects
Completion: 2022
Client: Quinnipiac University
Jury comments: This LEED Gold Health & Wellness integrates its program into a beautiful modern, wooden building and the use of biophilic design is very convincing. The Center incorporates a range of sustainable features, including native landscaping, water-saving systems, and an energy-efficient design that achieves a 42% reduction in energy use compared to baseline. This exemplifies a forward-thinking approach to student well-being, environmental stewardship, and long-term adaptability, making it a distinguished project in educational design.
Images/Photographer(s): Anton Grassl General Contractor: Mike Lockwood, FIP Construction Civil Engineer: Howard Pfrommer, NLJA Specifications: Lisa Goodwin Robbins, Kalin Associates Structural: Paul Richardson, Buro Happold Mechanical: Paul Richardson, Buro Happold Electrical: Paul Richardson, Buro Happold Plumbing: Paul Richardson, Buro Happold Acoustics: Kent McKelvie, Cavanaugh Tocci Landscaping: Steve Stimson, Stimson Studio Lighting: Paul Richardson, Buro Happold
