Archello Awards 2026 · Enter your projects before 30 September 2026
Archello Awards 2026 · Enter your projects before 30 September 2026

Student commons

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about student commons

Project • By Moriyama Teshima ArchitectsPrimary Schools

Trinity College School Learning Commons

The Trinity College School campus is made up of old neo-gothic brick and stone buildings dating from the late 1800s, and woven together with buildings built throughout the 1900s. The primary goal of the Learning Commons Project was to create a space that supports and encourages multiple learning styles: social learning, individual study, group study, group projects, one-on-one guidance, and classroom instruction. With this in mind, and to accommodate a growth in space needs, an underused courtyard near the heart of the campus was enclosed to create a new Student Commons space. Scott Norsworthy Scott Norsworthy Scott Norsworthy A large new lower lounge space was designed to be flexible in order to accommodate various student,... More

Project • By HEDSecondary Schools

Master Plan and Student Commons

The Community of Terra Linda in San Rafael chose HED to improve their 1961 campus. To begin, HED led a community master planning effort that creatively eliminated the need for temporary facilities. This allowed for a larger portion of the budget to be allocated to the reinvigoration of the campus, improved social spaces, and the construction of an entirely new academic core and innovation hub. The student commons is now the epicenter of an invigorating campus layout that centralizes the library, technology, media, music, drama, and food services. Alejandro Velarde This new configuration maximizes daylight within the facilities and creates an activated indoor/outdoor social hub for students and the community–creating a new beatin... More

Project • By Gow Hastings ArchitectsUniversities

Niagara College Welland Student Commons

The new Niagara College Welland Campus Student Commons establishes a welcoming heart within the sprawling, decentralized campus, establishing a flexible gathering place where students can study, collaborate, eat and socialize. In addition to enhancing student amenities, the project upgrades the 1970s era campus with a new north-facing entrance, enhances both wayfinding and branding with a bold graphic treatment, and opens the building to natural light and external views. Scott Norsworthy At the apex of a complex of dark, narrow corridors from previous renovations and additions, the project involved demolishing some tight spaces, improving wayfinding, and introducing natural light to the dated campus. The new 35,000 sf double-height sp... More

Project • By Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA)Primary Schools

Franklin High School

Franklin School District wanted to address capacity issues and add a new Performing Arts Center to the High School campus. To create community pride and transform the existing, relatively windowless high school into a center for community activity, the District used this as an opportunity to completely renovate the school, aesthetically and functionally; changing the way education is provided to the high school population. A two-story learning space was added, as well as a new performing arts center, and the exterior façade redesigned to create a new face for the community. A large portion of the remaining facility underwent substantial renovation, changing the way education is delivered from teacher-centered to student-centered.To achieve... More