Dining Commons, Western New England University

Springfield, Massachusetts

This brand new building is located on the campus of Western New England University in Springfield, MA. The new building contains a retail mall on the first floor with a Starbucks, a grill and sandwich restaurant, bakery, lounge areas for students, and dining and performance spaces that are used for non-academic functions. Some of these uses consist of food preparation classes for students and staff, poetry readings, and entertainment.

The second and third floors are the main student dining hall. The fourth floor includes adjustable conference and meeting rooms and a large outdoor terrace. The new dining commons have a rounded facade and a glass atrium. A skywalk connects the new dining commons to the campus center, where the old dining hall is located. Along with the new dining hall, the project also consisted of the relocation of one parking lot and the addition of a new parking lot, adding over 100 new parking spaces.

Client:
Western New England University

Architect:
Tessier Associates

Project Type:
New Construction

Market:
College/University

Size:
82,000 sq. ft.