Smith Hall and Renovations to Cannon Hall
New and renovated student housing at Sewanee: The University of the South represents gains for sustainability and community vibrancy while upholding the exquisite craftsmanship for which the school is renowned. Following Hanbury's master plan for the campus, Sewanee embraced the opportunity to add students residents proximate to the campus' main quad, while engaging an existing 100-year-old residence hall by way of a new social plaza.
Housing 90 first- and second-year students in single and double occupancy configurations, the new Smith Hall includes seminar, game and living rooms, indoor and outdoor study spaces, and bike storage. The idea of showcasing student life and providing long vistas from key vantage points drove the design, with its two residential wings defining the entry and helping to frame the social plaza and outdoor fire pit where students often study and socialize. A three-story glass "hyphen" connects the two wings, while a standalone chimney serves as an anchor for the community social space.
Indigenous timber columns, beams, and flooring provide a warm contrast to Smith Hall's locally-quarried stone walls. Complementing these traditional surrounds are thoroughly modern and LEED®-compliant design and mechanical elements, as well digital monitors in the entry lounge that display real time energy-use data to raise student awareness of energy consumption.
The concurrent renovation of the smaller Cannon Hall expanded and transformed first-floor living room space and hall bathrooms, provided a new community kitchen, and improved air circulation and interior finishes. In addition, the legacy residence hall now better engages interior and exterior spaces with a new porch and the courtyard space it shares with its new neighbors.
