Rollins College Rebuilds Strong Hall

WINTER PARK, Fla. — Rollins College recently completed Phase II of the two-phase, Strong Hall construction project that included completely rebuilding the historic residence hall from the ground up. Construction was completed in time for students to move in on Aug. 20. The facility still features a central courtyard and was designed with the original Spanish-Mediterranean architecture that defined the previous building, which first debuted in 1939.
The 16,000-square-foot, three-story Phase II project can house 58 students in semi-suite residences. The average residence consists of a bathroom shared between two double rooms; however, there are also singles that share a bathroom and doubles with their own bathroom. Four rooms are also equipped for special needs students who may be hearing impaired or mobility impaired. All rooms feature hardwood floors, while hallways and stairwells are carpeted to reduce traffic noise. Additionally, each building contains a large study and common area, as well as smaller nooks for more intimate gatherings.
Strong Hall Phase II, in conjunction with the two buildings of Strong Hall Phase I, are designed together to create the interior courtyard that was a major component of the original Strong Hall. The new Strong Quad, the combination of Phase I and II, houses approximately 100 students on the same site where the original Strong Hall housed 30 students.
The new facility incorporates several sustainable design strategies. such as thermal pane windows with high-performance glaze for heat control, individual temperature controls in each room, occupancy sensors, low-water-use fixtures, low-VOC paint, energy metering and AC provided by efficient chilled-water production. Phase I of the project, which was completed in 2012, was LEED certified earlier this year and is considered the first LEED-certified building on campus.
Strong Hall is part of several construction projects that debuted on the Rollins campus in the past year or so. The Alfond Inn and the new Bush Science Center, for example, have already been well received. At the Alfond Inn, prospective and returning parents and students are booking rooms a year in advance. The Bush Science Center debuted last fall and, at 103,580 square feet, is now the largest building on campus.
Lamm & Company Partners served as the development and construction manager for Phase II of the Strong Hall project, while Blankenship-Cote Architects served as the architect. Both companies are based in Orlando, Fla.