Bryn Mawr is a highly regarded women’s liberal arts college. Its 132-acre campus, long recognized as one of the most beautiful in the country, is characterized by a rolling landscape and distinctive Collegiate Gothic buildings that form a wonderfully scaled experience for those who study and work there. The existing residence halls are much loved by students for their unique features and are considered one of the best assets of the College’s student life. Atkin Olshin Schade Architects worked with Bryn Mawr College on the design of Haffner Hall, the first new residence hall built on campus in over fifty years. This posed an opportunity to evaluate how to provide contemporary amenities while upholding Bryn Mawr’s ongoing legacy.

Haffner Hall includes 130 single rooms and community spaces for studying and socializing. The new residence hall is sited near the main college entry by Rockefeller Hall and forms a gateway to the greater campus, which includes buildings by noted architects Cope & Stewardson and Louis Kahn. Haffner Hall connects across a new landscaped courtyard to an existing residence hall and dining hall. In addition to the design of the new residential building, we also renovated community spaces and associated student residences in an adjacent wing to serve as the Minority Student Center. The landscape improvements include a new outdoor bistro seating area off the Dining Hall, and a lawn area framed by an entry pergola and indigenous plantings.